A petition has been handed to Wiltshire Conservatives in protest at a trade deal which Royal Wootton Bassett residents say will lead to the irreversible privatisation of the NHS.

A group of residents dropped the “Get NHS out of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)” petition into the Pewsham offices of the North Wiltshire Conservatives Association yesterday.

The petition, which was signed by hundreds of people, aimed to grab the attention of North Wiltshire MP James Gray.

Last week households across the constituency used estate agency-style boards entitled ‘not for sale’ to urge the MP to get the NHS out of an EU trade deal which they believe could change the NHS as we know it.

Trevor Howells, a local resident and spokesman, said he wants Mr Gray to accept the threat the deal poses to the NHS.

“This needs to stop, the NHS needs to be protected, it is at risk of becoming wholly privatised and this is something that can’t continue,” he said.

“The threat of TTIP is real and it’s here. James Gray says it is not a threat to our NHS but I beg to differ.”

Campaigners said the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership could grant American multinationals or any firm with American investors the power to sue the government if it ever attempted to transfer privatised health service back into public ownership.

They also believe the refusal by Conservatives to remove the NHS from the American trade deal flouts legal advice seen by health campaigners which confirms the dangers which could impact on the health service.

“If we have American shareholders holding all the cards this could be very dangerous indeed for us,” said Trevor.

“I’m a fan of the NHS and I always have been but this could see it transformed into something akin to the American health system which is paid for. We could have to pay a lot to even see a doctor and I don’t want to see that happening.”

Responding, Mr Gray said the NHS was not linked to the TTIP deal in any way and would never become a privatised service.

“I have said time and time again that the NHS is exempt from TTIP,” he said.

“Never, now or in a thousand years, will the NHS be sold off and privatised, it will just never happen.

“TTIP is something that enables us to build relationships with the United States which is so important, it provides more jobs and it contributes to the economy. But it will not touch the NHS under any circumstances.”