Keighley mothers whose sons were treated at Leeds General Infirmary’s children’s heart unit are overjoyed at its reopening.

Andrea Steel and Kirsty Whitaker were delighted to hear life-saving surgery was due to resume yesterday.

But Kirsty, whose son Joseph still receives treatment at the unit, has warned the fight to save the unit is not yet over.

She pointed out that in the long-term, health bosses might still decide to close the unit and move patients to Newcastle.

The Leeds unit was closed temporarily last month after new data showed death rates were twice as high as other children’s heart units.

An urgent investigation revealed the data was wrong, and this week NHS England announced that surgery could resume.

Andrea, of Oakworth Road, whose son Ben – now 23 – was treated at the Leeds unit many times as a child, described the reopening as “fantastic”.

She said: “Words can’t describe how happy I am. In my heart of hearts I was hoping it would open.”

Kirsty, who raised money for the Save Our Surgery campaign, warned that health bosses still had to complete a review of which heart units in the UK should stay open or close.

She added: “I feel that there’s a real smear campaign going on. A lot of people will believe that Leeds isn’t safe, but it is.”

Cononley mum and campaigner Lois Brown, whose five-year-old daughter Amelie had surgery for a congenital heart defect, said there were still “massive” questions to be answered about the centre’s temporary closure.

“As a parent I am relieved that operations have restarted, but as a member of Save our Surgery I am really concerned about the timing and manner of the closure,” she said.

“It is quite frightening that such drastic action can be taken on little or no evidence.

“Children’s lives were put at risk.”