NEIGHBOURS in a Royal Wootton Bassett street have got together to call on their MP to help ensure the NHS is protected in a major international trade deal.

Queens Road has been adorned with sale boards calling for the health service to be removed from the Transatlantic Trade And Investment Partnership deal.

The residents were joined yesterday by pressure group People’s NHS as they demanded North Wiltshire MP James Gray to put pressure on the Prime Minister.

But the MP believes the protesters are just scaremongering and there is no threat of privatisation, as is alleged could happen if the deal goes through in its current form.

The protesters, many dressed as surgeons, gathered in Queens Road to send their message.

Resident Trevor Howells said: “Our local MP must get to grips with the threat the TTIP deal poses to the NHS.

“There is a real threat that in its current form firms can come in and take control of NHS and we could end up with an American-style health care system.

“We have started a petition and more than 1,000 people have signed. Once people realise the threat, they share our worries.

“James Gray has said that the EU was one area where he was prepared to rebel again - if he is serious about his concerns about the EU then he should demand that David Cameron acts and protects the NHS from the EU trade deal called TTIP.

“James Gray has a real opportunity to defend our NHS from this EU trade deal that means the irreversible sell-off of the NHS. The Conservative government does not have a mandate to allow the sell-off of the NHS to become permanent.”

TTIP is a free trade agreement between Europe and the USA, designed, in theory, to promote economic growth.

Mr Gray says the NHS is protected under the deal.

He said: “Firstly, I have not heard about this protest and no one has written to me. If they do, I am happy to reply.

“Secondly, over the last few months there have been a group of people saying the deal is a threat to the NHS. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“It will be up to member states whether they want to include their health services.

“These people are misleading people and scaring the vulnerable.”

It is thought the TTIP will come into effect next year.