Experts called in to review maternity services in west Herts conclude the centre is 'not viable' despite the groundswell of support the unit enjoyed.

Campaigners have reacted with anger to the announcement.

Zena Bullmore, chairman of Dacorum Hospital Action Group, said: "We're appalled.

"We think the case they make for not reopening it is very weak.

"Women need to have a genuine choice and at the moment they haven't."

The unit for low-risk births opened in 2003 to soften the blow of the loss of full maternity services but it was closed in 2005, despite receiving a gong from the National Childbirth Trust (NCT).

Thousands of people backed a campaign to save the unit, including the NCT, and hospital chiefs later said they would investigate reopening it.

Herts Primary Care Trust launched a review of maternity services in May, which was carried out by Professor Allan Templeton, a past president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and Angela Canning, head of midwifery services at the Princess Royal Hospital in Bromley.

In their report they say the unit 'quickly attracted an excellent reputation based on feedback from women and clinical staff'.

"However, the use of the unit was not as high as anticipated and there were continual problems finding trained staff."

The report says staffing problems and cash concerns led to the closure.

"The case for a free standing midwife unit at Hemel Hempstead was never compelling, except in meeting the geographical consequences of centralising facilities at Watford," the report says.

It concludes: "Thus on balance the best decision is to remove the uncertainty over the future of the Hemel Hempstead unit, which may be impeding plans to develop the quality of services elsewhere in west Herts."

However, the authors do recommend the development of midwife-led community antenatal and postnatal services on the Hemel Hempstead Hospital site.