GWENT MP Jess Morden has vowed to do "all she can" in a last-ditched attempt to save Chepstow's forensic science lab from closure.

In yesterday's Argus, we reported how the closure of Wales' only forensic science lab was described as a "bitter blow" by its 168 workers and politicians.

The Usk Road facility is credited for its work on some of Gwent's biggest crimes including the investigation into the murder of a Vietnamese man who was left for dead outside the Royal Gwent Hospital.

The announcement that it will close in Spring 2011 sparked outrage and Newport MP Jess Morden feels that the facility is a vital service for Wales that must be saved.

“I am bitterly disappointed by this decision.

Working with staff, I felt we had put forward a strong argument for keeping the office in Chepstow , where many of my constituents work.

Not only will this be devastating news to the dedicated staff who provide a first class public service, but also it will be terrible to lose the only public sector laboratory in Wales."

Ms Morden is hoping to bring the matter up at Home Office questions on Monday, failing that she will be making her "feelings perfectly clear" to Home Secretary Alan Johnson and Welsh Secretary Peter Hain.

The decision to close three FSS labs across the UK - Chepstow, Chorley and Brimingham - was taken by the Home Office to increase efficiency and to meet the "challenges of an emerging private forensics market."

The restructure will see services spread out across four of the current seven sites in London, Cambridgeshire, the Midlands and Yorkshire and will focus on crime type rather than geography.

Workers from Chepstow may be offered jobs at these sites.