IT IS with a great deal of sadness that we report today on the death of young Amber Hartland, aged just six-years-old.

Amber's story has touched the hearts of so many of our readers over the years.

The little girl from Cwmbran suffered from Infantile Tay-Sachs, a rare disorder which many health professionals predicted would mean she would not live past her third birthday.

She proved them all wrong.

And that is no doubt in part down to the tenacity of her parents Nick and Lesley who fought and fought to ensure she got the most up-to-date treatment available.

But it is also down to the countless people who, from the time we first featured Amber many years ago, raised money to help pay for the treatment, so touched were they by the family's plight.

The family have been through more than most and there have been times when it seemed Amber's health was failing and she did require hospital treatment.

But in a particularly cruel twist earlier this year, health professionals from the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust said they did not want to provide any further treatment for Amber should she fall ill again.

Their argument was that she had little quality of life. The public reaction against the move was as instant as it was angry.

The family faced the possibility of a traumatic court case should Amber have needed treatment again which in our view was unforgivable.

We send Amber's family our condolences.