THURROCK’S MP Jackie Doyle-Price said it is “appalling” so much money was wasted on the doomed Hogg Lane hospital project.

The Tory said it was obvious the hospital wasn’t going to go ahead when the PCT overspent in 2009-10.

She said: “It is an appalling waste that Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corp-oration continued to spend money buying land when the money was never there.

“I tried repeatedly to force a moment of honesty from them, but nobody would play.

“Perhaps they were waiting for us to be long enough into the Government to try to blame it on Government cuts. Well that won’t wash.

“This is down to the PCT and TTGDC raising expectations they couldn’t deliver on.”

Labour councillors Val Morris-Cook and Martin Healy, however, did blame the coalition.

Cllr Morris-Cook called on the health minister to come and face residents in Thurrock.

And Cllr Healy added: “Grays and Thurrock is an economic powerhouse, we would have expected the Tory-led coalition Government to match our commitment with a Grays Community Hospital for residents.”