A woman campaigning against changes to a world-renowned breastfeeding clinic fears milk supplies for mums with premature babies will be hit.

That was the warning yesterday from Julia Horsnell, chairman of the John Radcliffe Hospital's maternity services liaison committee, who has been campaigning to save the clinic, which opened at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital in 1991.

The clinic, which runs at least two days a week, has been operating on Level 6 in the women's centre.

Mums across Oxfordshire have spoken out in support of the unit, but trust managers say the space is needed to provide a family room for the Silver Star unit, which treats women with complications in pregnancy.

As a result, from Monday, the breastfeeding clinic is expected to move to a number of different rooms on Level One.

Mrs Horsnell warned fewer mums would use the clinic if it did not have an established base, and as a result, fewer mums would donate milk to the milk bank, which supports premature babies at the hospital's special care baby unit.

She added: "Rooms on Level 1 will not be as suitable, because it is accessible to the public, and new mums from Level 6 will not be able to get there because their babies are tagged for security reasons.

"Fewer mums will hear about the milk bank, and if the supply of human milk dries up then premature babies will be fed formula milk instead, which is not as good for them."

Once mothers have been screened and tested as donors to the milk bank, a van tours the county and collects the refrigerated milk to take to the special care baby unit.

Mrs Horsnell said it was not clear where the special equipment, including breast pumps worth hundreds of pounds each, teats and nozzles, as well as the bottles and equipment used for the human milk bank, would go and how it would be made available at different times in different rooms.

Campaigners say the number of births per year could rise from 6,500 to 8,000 at the John Radcliffe, creating an even greater need for the clinic.

Oliver Francis, a spokesman for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The breastfeeding clinic is not closing, or changing the service it offers. It is moving to new rooms in the women's centre. The current room on Level 6, which is used as a breastfeeding clinic for two days a week, is being converted into two family rooms for sick women and their babies currently cared for by the maternal and fetal medicine teams.

"These are primarily patients with specific medical problems that require close monitoring during pregnancy and the post-natal period.

"Equipment storage facilities, together with appropriate furnishings, will continue to be available in the new venue."

Mr Francis said the change of venue would have no impact on the milk bank service.