A MUM from Colchester will be among campaigners travelling to the Department of Health on Monday to deliver a 250,000 signature petition.

The Change.org petition calls on Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Dame Sally Davies and the Chief Executive of Public Health England, Dr Duncan Selbie to ensure sensitive testing for Strep B is routinely and freely available for all pregnant women in the UK.

The campaigners say routinely offering these tests could prevent more than 80 per cent of Strep B infections in newborn babies born to women carrying the bacteria, and would cost just £11 per test.

Group B Strep is the UK’s most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies, causing meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia.

Su Newton, of Worsdell Way in Colchester, will be among campaigners attending the petition handover on Monday.

Her daughter Emily was born with Strep B and nearly died from the virus at birth.

Mrs Newton has since called for the NHS to make testing for it for routinely available.

Emily is now a healthy seven-year-old.

Before the petition is delivered, Mrs Newton will attend a meeting at Portcullis House, where speeches will be made by the bereaved parents who launched it.

Colchester's MP Will Quince, who is on the Al Party Parliamentary Group for Baby Loss, will also join campaigners at the petition delivery.