The Echo is fighting to keep specialist cancer surgery in Southend. 

NICE wants to centralise these services in Essex - moving it to either Southend or Colchester. 

We are not opposed to keeping both services but local people need local cancer treatment. 

Specialist cancer surgery could be moved from Southend to Colchester, leaving patients facing an 80-mile round trip for operations.

Plans have been announced to close one of Essex’s two surgery centres for urological cancers, affecting the bladder, kidney, prostate and testicles.

Councillors from all over Essex have been asked to examine the issue and choose if Essex’s sole centre should be at Southend Hospital or Colchester General Hospital.

You can find out more about the Echo's campaign to save the service here