BIRKENHEAD MP Frank Field was rushed to hospital after collapsing during a public meeting in Rock Ferry last night.

The 72-year-old  apparently blacked-out following a heated exchange of views and was taken by ambulance to Broadgreen Heart and Chest Hospital.

The meeting at Highfield Church was abandoned and shocked onlookers were asked to leave.

One member of the public told the Globe Mr Field appeared to have "fainted" as the debate turned sour.

Mr Field's House of Commons office was apparently unaware of the incident and, after being contacted by the Globe, said they would be making urgent calls to the hospital to check on his condition.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “He was taken to hospital last night.

“He is responding well to treatment. He will be making his own statement in due course.”

A post on the Save Rock Ferry High School Facebook page today said: "A few people have been asking if we know anything about the condition of Frank Field, who collapsed at last night's meeting.

"Thankfully, I was told he was sitting up and okay, but he was taken to hospital for a check up.

"I also saw the ambulance arrive so that is likely to have been the case."

The post added: "We wish Mr Field well and a speedy recovery."

While the specific reason for Mr Field's collapse remains unclear at this point, it is well-known that the campaigning MP is no stranger to conflict.

Born in London, Mr Field has represented Birkenhead since 1979.

His resilience to pressure became most apparent in the late-1980s when he faced down a concerted attack by the Trotskyist group Militant Tendency to have him de-selected.

More recently he has scorned Merseyside Police's attempts to tackle street gangs in his constituency, describing parts of Birkenhead as having become "the Beirut of the North."

He was appointed as Prime Minister David Cameron's "poverty tsar" in 2012 but was disillusioned when his controversial findings were permanently shelved.

Last night's meeting had been arranged to discuss the future of “the last green space” in Rock Ferry.

Close to 3,000 people have signed a petition calling for town hall bosses to rethink their plans to bulldoze the former Rock Ferry High School and sell-off the associated fields.

Wirral Council is in the process of seeking Government permission to dispose of the school buildings, which it says are "surplus to educational requirements" and the playing fields on Ravenswood Avenue.

But those living near to the site have called for the building to be saved, claiming the adjoining fields are a vital community asset.

Mr Field recently had clashed with members of the action group over the plans, describing certain individuals as "mean-spirited."

They in turn said the MP was "living in a parallel universe."