BABIES will no longer be born in Malton Hospital from next week, following the opening of a new midwifery-led unit.

The £1 million MLU at Scarborough Hospital will open full-time on Monday.

Purpose-designed, the unit is a low technology environment with two birthing pools, supervised by midwives, which aims to offer low-risk mothers and babies from across Ryedale natural, home-style births.

The unit opened on a part-time basis in February and it has already delivered babies to mothers from Scarborough, Whitby, Bridlington and Ryedale.

Malton’s maternity unit has seen thousands of births since it first opened in the 1970s following the closure of Westow Croft.

However, deliveries have been reduced over recent years, with only 29 births in 2009 and four this year.

Former mayor of Malton Coun Jane Ford, who campaigned to save the unit, said: “Malton is expanding with more and more houses, yet we won’t have a maternity unit – it is absolutely disgusting.

“I had two of my children at Malton and it was like a hom-from-home. I am very disappointed that it will now be closing.”

From Monday, all midwifery-led deliveries will be transferred to Scarborough from Malton Hospital.

The Malton Community Midwifery Team will still continue to offer women support locally, delivering ante-natal and post-natal care as well as support for home deliveries, should women want to have their babies at home.

Freya Oliver, manager of the MLU and supervisor of midwives, said: “We are delighted that this fantastic unit will be able to deliver babies, 24/7 from 3 May.

“The opening of the unit full-time also means that we now have the highest number of midwives that we have seen at the Trust in recent years. This includes strengthening our community midwifery teams in Malton, Bridlington and Whitby to offer women increased support for home deliveries.”