THE Prime Minister will not be apologising to a Droitwich resident for the way her personal letter to him was abandoned in an Oxfordshire skip.

The Worcester News reported last month that Ann Hodgson had written a private letter to the Prime Minister at the end of February complaining that her operation at Worcestershire Royal Hospital had been cancelled just an hour before it was due to take place.

But the letter ended up in the hands of The Guardian newspaper after it was discovered in the recycling skip and sent in to the newspaper anonymously.

Mid-Worcestershire Conservative candidate Peter Luff took up the case with Prime Minister Tony Blair to seek an apology for the breach of confidence, but he has now received a letter from the Direct Communications Unit saying that any reply will come from 'a Minister in the Department of Health'.

"I understand that the Prime Minister is a bit preoccupied, but he will have less to do in four days' time, and I'm sure Mrs Hodgson would rather have had a real apology later rather than a speedy bit of buck-passing to a Junior Minister now," Mr Luff said.

"I am very disappointed the Prime Minister does not have the decency to say that short, but simple word - sorry."

Sixty-seven-year-old former schools nurse Mrs Hodgson, who lives in the Witton area of the town, said she was angry that Mr Blair would not be replying to her personally.

"All I've received is a letter sent on his behalf saying he would be passing it on," she said. "I think it is so serious that it really warranted a personal response from Mr Blair or Health Secretary John Reid at the very least.

"I know that the Prime Minister is busy electioneering but for this very reason I thought this should have been of the utmost importance to him," she added.