PHASE one of a new cancer unit, which offers an easily accessible, more comfortable environment for chemotherapy treatment, has opened at Furness General Hospital.

Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust contributed £500,000 towards the out-patients facility and, thanks to the huge public response to a fund-raising appeal last year, phase two - a £1.5million state-of-the-art facility - will follow ahead of schedule.

The development is being built in two phases: the newly-opened day hospital for chemotherapy and haematology, followed by an eight-bed in-patient facility including palliative care.

Trust chief executive Ian Cumming said: "This is the best possible news for those patients who will use these facilities at Furness General Hospital and the trust is extremely grateful to the local community and the efforts of the appeal committee for making the building of phase two possible sooner than anticipated."