A LUMP of concrete which had fallen from Airedale Hospital was handed around in a meeting at 10 Downing Street to reinforce the need for a new building.

Aerated concrete – which is known for its structural deficiencies – is present in more than 50,000 wall, ceiling and floor panels at the Steeton site.

Keighley MP Robbie Moore took a chunk to Downing Street as part of a campaign to get a new hospital built to replace the current premises, which date back more than half a century.

"Airedale Hospital needs and deserves a full rebuild – and I will not stop until this is delivered," he said.

"This meeting was the latest of many in which I have raised the matter with those at the top of Government, including holding my own debate in the House of Commons on this very important topic. I have also directly lobbied the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Health Secretary.

"The dangers of aerated concrete are clear for everyone to see. I made sure to take a piece of the fallen debris from Airedale to my meeting at Downing Street to show just how urgent an issue this is, and to highlight that time is of the essence and no 'sticking plaster approach' will work. I again made the case very strongly for a full rebuild."

Last year, plans for a new Airedale Hospital were amongst an ambitious £1.7 billion-plus package of proposals put forward to the Government.

The new complex would be Europe’s first carbon-neutral hospital.

"The Government has pledged to deliver 48 new hospitals – which is fantastic – and I commend the work of all the staff at Airedale who are doing everything they can to make sure we are one of them," Mr Moore added.

"Our bid is submitted and I will continue to lobby hard, as we need a hospital which is fit for the future."

Mr Moore says inspections of the hospital have found 500 structural failure incidents caused by aerated concrete, including 27 cracked panels.

Due to issues arising from the condition of the hospital, urgent work has had to be carried out in some wards and clinical areas, which included temporary closures in parts of the building.