A BEREAVED mother wants those responsible for the preventable death of her baby girl to be "prosecuted".

Lesley Bennett condemned the staff and managers involved in the failings of care for her daughter Elleanor, and the following cover-up at Furness General Hospital, after the Kirkup Inquiry publication this week.

The 42-year-old's newborn, Elleanor, died at just 27-hours-old in Liverpool Women’s Hospital - less than 48 hours after she was born at the Barrow hospital in February 2004.

Mrs Bennett and her husband Gary were told the death of their child was "just one of those things" but the pair realised something had gone seriously wrong when police came knocking at the door of their Dalton home in October 2011.

Two years later, an inquest heard midwives failed to monitor the heart rate of the unborn baby for 43 minutes during the birthing process despite Mrs Bennett being classed as "high-risk".

Coroner Ian Smith ruled Elleanor died of complications and was most likely starved of oxygen, leading to brain damage.

Mrs Bennett said she was ignored after telling a midwife a foetal scalp electrode was used to monitor the heart beat of her two previous children.

"I will feel forever guilty as a mother that I took what they said as truth - which you should be able to," she said. "My baby could have been saved."

The mother-of-three said she hoped the recommendations of the report would be implemented but admitted there had to be a point when she moves on because "it destroys you and makes you bitter".

She added: "I hope this inquiry is hard hitting and I do think those people responsible should be prosecuted.

"If they were in any other line of work they would be held accountable."