THE top children’s heart surgeon in Yorkshire has made an 11th-hour plea for people to support the future of child heart surgery in our region.

Today is the final day people can give their views on controversial NHS plans to close the paediatric heart surgery service at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), and transfer it to Newcastle.

Dr Kevin Watterson, who has carried out scores of life-saving procedures on seriously-ill children, many from York, thanked readers of The Press for their support in the campaign.

He said: “Everyone who works on the unit has been touched by the huge amount of public support from all around the region in favour of keeping this vital service for the children of Yorkshire here in Leeds. We’d like to thank all those readers of The Press who have been supporting us and particularly the families who shared their stories about how much the unit has helped them and for saying what the effect would have been if they had had to travel much further for surgery.”

In the months since the review was announced, many parents of children in York who have undergone surgery at LGI have come out in support of the centre.

Among them was Tracey Oliver, mother two-year-old Alfie, a former patient of Dr Watterson, who has previously voiced concerns over seriously-ill York children having to travel to Newcastle instead of the much shorter journey to Leeds.

She said: “I am sure Alfie would not have survived if he had had to go to Newcastle.”

Dr Watterson urged people to fill out the Safe And Sustainable online questionnaire saying they supported Option D.

People can also text the word HEART to 85001 for free.