Almost once a week patients were turned away from the maternity unit at the Conquest hospital last year, figures show.
According to information released under the Freedom of Information Act to the Conservative Party, there were "44 incidents at the Conquest Hospital when women had to be diverted due to capacity" in 2007.
The information also showed that Eastbourn
e District General hospital (DGH) maternity unit closed to mothers 31 times in the same period.
If Eastbourne maternity unit is downgraded as planned, high-risk cases will need to be sent to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings.
Hands of the Conquest hospital campaigner Margaret Williams said: "This is the self fulfilling prophecy of both East Sussex Hospital Trust and the Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).
"Because they refuse to recruit more consultants -which is the recommendation of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)- for all maternity units, closures will continue to happen."
A spokesman for East Sussex Hospitals Trust, that runs the Conquest and the DGH, said: "There have been occasions when the maternity unit at the Conquest Hospital has been on divert for new admissions.
"This has mainly been due to staff shortages caused by sickness or a lack of available beds. New admissions were diverted to the Eastbourne DGH or the nearest available unit."
The information, revealed by the conservatives, showed that 42 per cent of NHS Trusts providing maternity services in the UK had to turn away women in labour last year because they were full, with larger maternity units closing more often.
Commenting on the number of closures, Richard Warren, honorary secretary of the RCOG, said: "It is imperative to ensure that maternity units are appropriately staffed and resourced to meet the demands that the service requires."
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