AN angry Boots customer has complained about the retail giant’s failure to offer a “full and proper” pharmacy service to the people of the town where he lives.

Russell Ford Beazley, of Long Close, Chippenham, says Boots has cut the opening hours of its Chippenham pharmacy by a total of 13 hours over seven days.

He claims this has reduced the service available to residents, particularly those wanting to collect prescription drugs during their lunchbreak or at weekends.

He said: “I am angry. I just feel that Boots are taking advantage of their monopoly in the high street.

“I telephoned Boots head office to complain, saying: “Boots High Street, Chippenham, has firstly closed the pharmacy at lunchtimes between 1pm and 2pm, Monday to Friday.

“Then they closed the pharmacy all day on Sunday and now it closes at 3.30pm on Saturday.

“This is a reduction of 13 hours per week. This also means that over-the-counter medicines are not available either.

“As Boots is the only pharmacy in the town centre, I do not believe that they are providing a full and proper service to the people of Chippenham.”

The pharmacy usually opens from 9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday when the store is open but it closes between 1pm and 2pm at lunchtime – a reduction of five hours over the course of the five days.

The opening hours are further reduced by two hours on a Saturday because the High Street store now closes early at 3.30pm.

The pharmacy is also closed on Sundays when shops are allowed to open from 10am to 4pm – a further reduction of six hours in opening times, making a total of 13 hours.

Mr Beazley usually visits the store to collect prescriptions and OTC medicines for himself and his partner.

He called in to the Boots store to collect some eye drops for his partner, who suffers from glaucoma, only to be told there were none available until mid-February.

“I asked whether it was a problem nationwide, and they said ‘no’, it was just their supplier.

“If there were other pharmacies in the town centre it would not be an issue but there aren’t any.

“Working people who go there during their lunchbreak find it shut. I question whether Boots is still a chemist or simply a store selling perfumes and other goods.”

A Boots spokesperson said: “We haven’t opened at lunchtime for 30 years.”