Hospital bosses have insisted bed closures on two wards for elderly people are based on statistics, not money saving.

Figures from the Trust which runs Colchester General Hospital shows in the first 11 days of July there were 130 emergency admissions to the wards - a daily average of 12.

In the same period last year there were 161 admissions - an average of 15 a day.

The figures were released after the Trust announced it was closing 15 beds on two elderly care wards - Darcy and Birch - until October 1.

A spokesman for the Trust said: "In just 11 days, we had 31 fewer patients which, at this albeit early stage, suggests the rationale the trust has employed to temporarily reduce bed numbers is well-founded."

Rachel Fahie, chief officer for Age Concern Colchester, said provided the beds were reopened in good time for winter admissions she could see the sense in the plan.

She said: "At first sight this seems to make sense - in winter time there are many more hospital admissions for illnesses like chest infections and respiratory problems.

"If the hospital has looked at figures from last summer or the year before and used them as a guide that would bear some relation to reality.

"I would like to think that it was not just a cost-saving exercise and that if anything were to happen, and a lot of elderly people needed admitting they would be able to accommodate them.

"We don't seem to be having a heatwave at the moment but if we do then a lot of elderly people would need to be admitted and I hope the hospital would be ready to cope.

She added: "As long as the beds are open again on October 1 as promised I don't see that it would cause much of a problem."

The trust spokesman said: "A number of wards have contingency beds and Darcy and Birch are no different - providing care in an emergency is what hospitals are designed to do.

"This is a temporary measure and it is being monitored every day. It isn't something we have decided to do lightly."

Bosses also plan to close eight beds on gynaecological Copford ward and transfer patients to the unused Stanway ward.