ANGRY patients have vowed to continue their fight against health chiefs' decision to shut down Lacock's Cantax Surgery this week.

Despite a petition signed by hundreds of patients and objections from Wiltshire County Council's health overview and scrutiny committee, West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust agreed to close the surgery.

But patients say they will not give up and are seeking to lodge an appeal against the trust's decision, amid allegations that it failed to hold proper consultation talks and ignored their concerns.

North Wiltshire district councillor Dick Tonge said: "We don't know what the PCT is there for. It's supposed to be there for patients, but they just don't listen."

The GPs who ran the surgery applied to close it because they claimed the building they used was outdated, did not comply with Health and Safety legislation or have disabled access.

The National Trust stepped in to offer an alternative location in the village, but it was never taken up.

The surgery had 350 registered patients and 186 people signed a petition against plans to shut it down.

"I feel the doctors didn't want to listen and had already made up their mind," said Coun Tonge.

The closure will mean patients will have to travel to the GPs' main practice at the Spa Medical Centre in Melksham.

Patient Dorothy Vowles, 64, of Bewley Crescent, said she is seeking a 28-day referral of the PCT's decision, which would keep the surgery open at least until the outcome of a review. But she fears it may be too late.

She said the PCT told patients it was only a ten-minute bus ride into the main surgery.

But Mrs Vowles said only one bus every hour travels to Melksham, and the journey would be an ordeal for elderly patients, especially if they had to wait around in cold, windy or rainy weather.

"I am down, but I am certainly not defeated," she said.

According to the trust 70 per cent of patients attended the surgery for repeat prescriptions, but the GP practice has now secured an agreement with Boots the Chemist for it to deliver repeat prescriptions to patients in Lacock.