Campaigners battling to save Bridlington Hospital today pledged to continue the fight after managers decided to withdraw vital services.

Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare Trust's board of directors yesterday agreed to move ahead with plans to transfer the hospital's cardiac monitoring unit (CMU) and acute medical services to Scarborough General.

The decision angered campaigners, who have been fighting to keep the facilities at the hospital for the past year.

But today they said the fight was not over yet and vowed to keep up the pressure on managers.

Mick Pilling, chairman of the Save Bridlington Hospital Action Group leading the way to save hospital CMU and services, said: "The trust has stuck to its guns about removing the CMU from Bridlington, even though people have categorically stated they don't want it removing.

"We collected 22,500 signatures and almost 3,000 people turned out and marched to save these services.

"So I am very disappointed the trust has eventually taken this view.

"We will continue to campaign to keep it in Bridlington, because it is a lifeline."

The news came as a shock to campaigners, as no information was published in advance of the meeting.

The Mail asked to see the board papers last week, but was told the information on Bridlington Hospital was still being prepared.

When questioned about the lack of notice at yesterday's meeting, trust chief executive Iain McInnes said the papers couldn't be completed due to "unprecedented staff illness".

The paper produced yesterday, detailed the trust's preferred option of transferring all medical emergencies to Scarborough General.

It also outlined how intermediate care services, such as urgent access clinics and chest pain clinics, would be expanded at Bridlington Hospital.

And an estimate of potential costs claimed the preferred option would require £1m to £2m of capital funding, as well as another £1m from East Riding PCT to support the additional ambulance services needed.

The board agreed to explore the recommended option, but said a final decision on the hospital's future was unlikely to be made until March next year.

But health watchdog chairman, councillor Ros Jump, said she felt the trust was using a "smoke and mirrors approach".

Ms Jump, who is chairman of East Riding Council's NHS Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said her committee would prepare to refer the case to Secretary of State Alan Johnson if services were removed.

She said: "It's a big fudge. They have said what they are going to do, but they don't know how or when. They've used smoke and mirrors by saying they will be putting something back into Bridlington, but it will be a glorified community hospital."