HEALTH chiefs planning to axe hospital beds in the New Forest were forced to abandon a public meeting last night because the venue was too small.

More than 300 people were turned away from Hythe Community Centre after attempting to squeeze into a room that can seat only 80.

The meeting had been called by New Forest Primary Care Trust to discuss the future of in-patient beds at Hythe Hospital.

Angry residents accused the trust of choosing the smallest public venue in the parish.

Officials offered to stage a meeting for the people already in the room and hold a second debate later in the summer for everyone else, but the suggestion was greeted with shouts of "No!".

After further discussion the trust abandoned the event on health and safety grounds.

Wendy Pettifer, the organisation's acting chairman, vowed that the meeting would be reconvened at a larger venue in the next few days.

She added: "I'm very disappointed that we weren't able to get a larger hall tonight.

"This meeting is far better attended than we expected and it wouldn't have been safe to carry on. I'm determined to find an alternative venue as soon as possible."

John Richards, the trust's chief executive, said: "We didn't anticipate how many people would turn up and have been completely overwhelmed.

"The consultation period lasts for three months and the public meetings we're holding between now and September are only one aspect of that consultation."

However, people turned away from the community centre were furious at being denied an opportunity to have their say.

Pensioner Norman Cripps, of West Hill Drive, Hythe, said it was a shambles, while Father Ray Lyons claimed it was indicative of the way the trust was being run.

New Forest MP Dr Julian Lewis said: "The cancellation of the meeting is par for the course for the trust.

"It's as shambolic as the way in which the whole concept of bed closures has been conceived and foisted upon a community that is utterly opposed to everything the trust is suggesting."

The organisation has drawn up two options, one of which would involve the closure of all 106 beds at five hospitals in the area.

The other has been divided into four sub-options, three of which would result in the closure of 16 beds at Hythe Hospital.

If the scheme goes ahead, patients will be treated in their own homes or admitted to care homes temporarily.

Dr Lewis is using the Freedom of Information Act to obtain more information about the proposed closures.

He said: "The request focuses on the outrageous decision to reduce the original five options to two - both of which are equally unacceptable - before

the consultation exercise had even started.

"One of the options has been sub-divided in a cynical way to try to set hospital against hospital and divide their supporters.

"I'm sure these financially motivated and underhand tactics will fool nobody.

"There will be hell to pay if the trust tries to use the exemptions to the Act to conceal what it's really been doing."