TORY leader David Cameron has pledged to save Altrincham General's maternity unit - even though the hospital does not provide this service.

Mr Cameron this week launched a campaign to save 29 district hospitals that he claimed were threatened with the axe.

Altrincham General was one of the hospitals listed in a Conservative research paper to support Mr Cameron's case.

But Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust says it can't understand why Altrincham is among the hospitals he is campaigning for.

A spokesman for the trust said: "It is misguided for Altrincham General to be included in any such list. Altrincham General does not have maternity services so we are bemused why it is included."

Altrincham General has a minor injuries unit, which has just expanded to open seven days a week.

The service's weekday opening hours were extended in November - leading to a 60 per cent increase in the number of patients being treated.

Trafford Healthcare Trust's spokesman added: "Far from closing services we are expanding them."

Mr Cameron later claimed the document had meant to name Trafford General Hospital, and not Altrincham General. A region-wide review of maternity services could result in the closure of Trafford General's maternity unit, special care baby unit and children's ward, over the next three to five years.