Pembrokeshire's politicians have joined forces to fight the planned closure of Withybush's Special Care Baby Unit.

Local MPs Stephen Crabb and Simon Hart and AM Paul Davies launched an urgent petition and collected signatures during the three days of the Pembrokeshire County Show.

The local health board intends to develop a level two neo-natal unit in Carmarthen and close the current unit in Haverfordwest. Five hundred signatures against the move were collected and will now be fed into the consultation on the proposed changes.

Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies commented: "This campaign underlines the importance of the special care baby unit in our local area. These are lifesaving services and any closure of the current unit at Withybush hospital is unacceptable. Closing this unit will be hugely detrimental to the local community and to all families of unborn babies across Pembrokeshire. It is important that our voices are heard loud and clear on this issue – no to special baby unit cuts!"

Stephen Crabb, MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire commented: "The reaction from across Pembrokeshire to the plans for removing the baby care unit from Withybush has been phenomenal. People are feeling very angry indeed. At the County Show last week hundreds of visitors came to our stand to sign the petition against the closure. We also heard a great number of personal testimonies from local mums and dads about the excellent care some of their own children needed as a result of premature of complicated births.

"People at the Show were also rightly asking where on earth was the Health Board? Virtually every other major West Wales organisation was at the Show using it as an opportunity to engage with local people. Given that they are consulting on the biggest shake-up to medical services in more than 30 years you would think that local health bosses would have been there wanting to discuss the plans at the County's largest community event."

South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart added: "There is very strong feeling about this issue and it's one that provokes a lot of emotion."

Mr Hart is also concerned about the planned closures of the county's two Minor Injury Units in Pembroke Dock and Tenby.

"All those thousands of people who signed petitions and protested the last time these units were closed now feel betrayed by this decision," he said.

"Both units have been busy over the summer, especially Tenby, and they are a lifeline to the communities they serve."