A local campaigner says she believes the Plymouth public would help Derriford hospital to raise the money it needs for a specialist radiotherapy machine.

The cyberknife costs more than two and a half million pounds - one was due to be installed over the next couple of years,but the hospital now says it has no immediate plans to do so due to financial constraints.

Ruth Peberdy's husband died of pancreatic cancer and she has already raised fifty thousand pounds towards buying a cyberknife.

She now wants the hospital to ask people to help them raise the money.

The cyberknife targets tumours with intense radiation and can reduce the need for invasive surgery.

The hospital say the replacement of two radiotherapy machines and purchase of a third will allow their existing machines to perform some of the functions of a cyberknife.