NORTH Staffs MPs joined forces to tell the Government it would be "sacrilege" and "a betrayal" of people in the Potteries if the Wedgwood Museum was shut down.

MPs of both the Labour and Conservative parties made the comments during a House of Commons debate yesterday to discuss what the Government could do to save the institution and its collection of treasures.

The museum in Barlaston went into administration in April after being saddled with a £134 million pension fund deficit from the collapse of the Wedgwood company.

Administrators are now waiting for a court ruling which may compel them to break up and auction off the museum's collection.

But Stoke Central MP Tristram Hunt who was leading the's debate, watched by Simon Wedgwood, a member of the ceramics dynasty, called on Culture Minister Ed Vaizey to come to the rescue if the ruling goes against the museum.

He said: "What we seek from Government is, first of all, some commitment that they are doing more than simply watching this car crash take place; what are the Government's plans for the Wedgwood Museum if the case goes against them?

"And, more broadly, do they have plans to amend legislation to ensure that such a crazy outcome never befalls another museum?"

He added: "It would be a monstrous act of cultural self-destruction, a betrayal of the people who have made objects of great beauty from the soils of Staffordshire, if this museum was allowed to collapse."

The Wedgwood family opened its first museum in 1906 and, in 1962, decided to formally separate the museum to prevent it being used as a saleable asset by any future owner.

The museum gained charitable trust status in 1998 in order to secure funding to create a new building to house the collection in.

But since then legal changes were made to pensions law which have seen what Mr Hunt described as "an Alice in Wonderland legal situation of absurdity" develop.

The changes meant that after Waterford Wedgwood entered administration in 2009 the museum could be held responsible for the £134 million shortfall in the company's pension plan.

Stoke North MP Joan Walley said it was "essential" for the Government to help, while Stoke South MP Rob Flello warned that other museums around the UK may end up in similar trouble if laws were not changed.

Newcastle MP Paul Farrelly argued that it would be "sacrilege" if new legislation was not pushed through to save the museum and Stone MP Bill Cash put forward legal arguments that might be used to help save the collection.

Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy also attended the debate so that Mr Vaizey faced a forceful North Staffs lobby when he stood to give his response.

The minister said that his department had already been working closely with local MPs and the museum in order to help them and see that it had a viable business plan should the courts decision go in its favour.

But he said he could not interfere in the courts as it made its decision on whether to allow the museum's collection to be sold off.

Speaking after the event Mr Wedgwood said: "I think it has been an extremely useful exercise and I hope that it will raise the profile of the museum and the huge nature of the problem. We need to save this unique and fantastic part of the nation's heritage."