A coffin was carried through Llanelli during the protest

Carmarthenshire NHS Trust is closing the A&E unit at Prince Philip Hospital during the night because of a shortage of middle grade doctors.

But some people living in Swansea fear patients travelling to Morriston Hospital instead will mean longer waits there.

Swansea Council leader Lawrence Bailey has asked Welsh assembly health minister Jane Hutt for assurances that people in the city will not suffer.

The walk element is very difficult to predict Andrew Bellamy

And Swansea NHS Trust says it is difficult to predict how many extra patients will be turning up when the cutbacks come into force on 1 September.

Trust strategy director Andrew Bellamy told BBC News Online that talks were ongoing between both hospitals and ambulance service mangers to try to minimise the impact.

He said casualty staff at Morriston were not expecting more than two or three extra 999 incidents on busy nights.

Llanelli residents with less urgent problems are being asked to phone NHS Direct before heading to hospital.

It may be some could wait for treatment until the A&E at Prince Philip re-opens the following morning.

But Mr Bellamy said what could not be predicted was the number of people who make their own way to Swansea and turn up at Morriston's doors.

"The walk element is very difficult to predict," he said.

"There are on-going discussions and it's quite important that we stay alongside these."

Worries

Mr Bailey said he had written to Ms Hutt after receiving a number of calls and letters from worried Swansea residents.

He said: "Their worries are that the planned closure of A&E between 2000BST and 0800BST will result in significant pressure on an already stretched service at Morriston."

He tells Ms Hutt: "I am sure you would want to make certain that adequate provision is made to maintain a viable standard off service."

Carmarthenshire NHS Trust says it will try and keep any disruption to a minimum.

The Trust says it has been forced to take the decision because it cannot recruit enough middle grade doctors but adds as soon as it can the unit will return to operating 24 hours a day.

But campaigners in Llanelli on the weekend still vented anger at the trust.

More than 100 protesters joined a march which saw a coffin carried through the town.

One of the march organisers, Geraint Hopkins, said: "I dread to think what will happen if someone has a heart attack in Llanelli and the ambulances are already dealing with other cases.

"The night-time closure could have a catastrophic domino effect on emergency services in the area."