NEARLY half of England’s NHS maternity units turned away pregnant women at least once last year, figures show.

One closed more than 30 times because it had too few midwives to help women in labour.

Another shut for three weeks in a row because the hospital needed more emergency beds to cope with a winter crisis.

The figures were revealed through a freedom of information request by the Labour Party.

Results showed 46 per cent of the 89 trusts that responded turned away new admissions at least once in 2017 – up slightly from 44 per cent in 2016.

Royal Berkshire NHS Trust admitted barring desperate mums-to-be no fewer than 33 times, mostly due to ‘insufficient midwifery staffing’.

It did the same thing 30 times in 2016.

Bristol NHS Trust closed 29 times – including a whole week over the Xmas period.

And the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, closed its doors for 37 hours on one occasion due to ‘an unprecedented number of women in labour’.

Meanwhile, Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust shut for a similar period when diesel leaked from machinery above the maternity ward.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the closures were “a disgrace”.

He said: “Expectant mothers deserve reassurance that the local maternity unit will be there for them when needed. The uncertainty for so many women just when they need the NHS most is unthinkable. Mothers and babies deserve better than this.”

The Royal College of Midwives estimates the NHS in England needs another 3,500 midwives.

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It claims trusts are wasting nearly £100m a year employing agency nurses and staff to plug gaps in midwife rotas.

That cash could cover the national shortage of qualified staff, it says.