These findings were announced this week as part of a survey carried out by EuroRAP for ITV's Police, Camera, Action programme.

And it's this road facing expecting mums and paramedics if plans to downgrade maternity services at the DGH go ahead.

At present, emergency Caesarians and treatment for other complications that can arise for mums in labour are carried out at the Eastbourne hospital.

But if these specialist services are centralised at Hastings' Conquest Hospital, any mum at Eastbourne facing difficulty during birth will have to be taken along the A259 to receive the care she needs.

EuroRAP rates this road as medium to high risk, with 47 fatal or serious collisions between 2004 and 2006.

There is not just the risk of the ambulance being held up in a tailback from a crash – or worse actually involved in one – the state of the road itself and the sheer volumes of traffic using it could result in a delay so long that the health of both mum and baby are severely compromised.

This argument is the backbone of which the Save The DGH campaigners are basing their appeal to keep high-grade maternity services at both the Eastbourne and Hastings sites.

EuroRAP's findings give more meat to the campaign – and highlights how irresponsible a final decision to downgrade Eastbourne maternity would be.

The health of any patient should always come first, and those responsible for any downgrade should remember the phrase 'we told you so' never rings so hollow than in the event of a tragedy.