Women are being forced to travel out of the district for abortions after a hospital's health managers stopped the operations.

Terminations at Airedale General have been suspended for six weeks as it concentrates on other operations which have to meet stringent Government waiting-list targets.

The area's two Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) say the decision to halt abortions will allow the hospital to cut waiting times for other gynaecology surgery, such as hysterectomies.

But doctors and politicians have condemned the sudden move, which means women and teenage girls have to travel to Leeds or Doncaster, accusing the PCTs of putting targets ahead of patients' needs.

They also fear the hospital's abortion service could be scrapped completely.

Conservative MP David Curry vowed to raise the situation with Health Secretary John Reid.

Mr Curry, who represents Skipton and Ripon, said: "This demonstrates that despite the Government consistently claiming clinical needs are not distorted by performance targets, they clearly are. This could put some women over the stage at which they are allowed a termination."

And Keighley MP Ann Cryer, a Labour backbencher, said she was "very concerned".

She said: "Women and girls in these tragic circumstances have enough trauma to cope with without having to travel miles for a termination. I think we need to start questioning Government targets.

"Very safe abortions, up to a month or two months, can become a much more dangerous procedure if women are forced to wait another six weeks.

"Young girls often don't have the confidence to travel far for abortions. Many don't want their families to know - and this becomes much more likely."

And Jenny Hutchinson, practice manager at the Fisher Medical Clinic, Skipton, said doctors were "annoyed" by the situation.

In a strongly-worded letter to Craven, Harrogate and Rural Districts PCT she said: "I am writing to express our outrage regarding the suspension of this service.

"To suspend such an important service in order to meet targets is unacceptable.

"Many patients requiring terminations are vulnerable. To expect these patients to travel for this service is against the NHS plan."

Airedale PCT and Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT between them buy about 40 terminations a month from Airedale General Hospital. PCTs make contracts to purchase health care on behalf of their residents and provide some primary care in the community themselves.

But according to

the hospital, the PCTs decided to suspend this for six weeks so the hospital could focus on reducing waiting lists in other parts of the gynaecology service below the Health Department's stringent six-month threshhold. The Government target states that all patients waiting for non-urgent surgery should be operated on within six months of going on the waiting list.

By transferring patients wanting abortions to the Marie Stopes Clinic, Leeds, and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, in Leeds and Doncaster, the PCTs ensured there was spare time and space in the operating theatres at Airedale General, at Steeton, near Keighley.

And this was being used for other types of surgery including hysterectomies, laparoscopies and prolapse repairs. Abortions done for medical, rather than social, reasons will continue to be done at Airedale.

Airedale PCT and Craven, Harrogate and Rural Districts PCT confirmed the suspension of the abortion service.

They said they had "full confidence" that the Marie Stopes Clinic and British Pregnancy Advisory Service to provide "an excellent service for patients."

A Craven, Harrogate and Rural Districts PCT spokesman added: "The suspension will help the gynaecology service at Airedale NHS Trust concentrate on working to reduce waiting times for other types of procedures it undertakes.

"We regret that because events moved quickly some of our local practices felt they were not given more notice of the suspension. Dialogue with our GP practices is very important to us."

Both PCTs said discussions were continuing with Airedale NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, over the future of abortion services.

An Airedale General spokesman said: "We can confirm that the Primary Care Trusts have decided the pregnancy termination service for women, provided at Airedale General Hospital, be suspended for a period of six weeks.

"We understand that alternative arrangements have been put in place for patients by the Primary Care Trusts with the Marie Stopes clinic in Leeds, which will provide an excellent alternative service."