THE controversial consultation over plans which threaten the future of Southampton’s specialist children’s heart surgery unit will be challenged in the High Court today.

The judicial review by the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, challenging the “deeply flawed” process, which has been run by NHS bosses looking to cut the number of units around the country, starts this morning.

If successful, the Royal Brompton’s legal bid could force health chiefs to revise the way it looks at which centres must close.

That could mean the Safe and Sustainable consultation, which has been criticised for giving Southampton only a 25 per cent chance of surviving despite being the second-best performing unit in the country, has to be re-run.

Health bosses leading the consultation have rejected all the allegations made by the Royal Brompton and believe that the review was "robust". They will present their case later this week.

More than 250,000 people backed the Daily Echo’s Have a Heart campaign calling on the Prime Minister to personally intervene to ensure Ocean Ward at Southampton General Hospital is safeguarded.

But Southampton bosses have remained tight-lipped on whether or not they would consider legal action if the final decision saw the city’s centre get the chop.