VILLAGERS faced with losing their doctor's surgery have vowed to bring in another GP to take it on.

Feelings are running high in Netheravon after the Avon Valley Practice announced it can no longer support the four-year-old plan to build a new surgery in the village, nor can it continue to run the existing surgery.

The Practice, which runs surgeries in Upavon, Durrington and Netheravon, said it was financially untenable to build the new surgery and the present Netheravon surgery is unfit for purpose with major electrical and structural problems.

The practice blames a change in working practices forced on it by the government's new Dispensing Practices legislation which has led to extra staffing costs across the whole practice, making the running of a surgery in Netheravon no longer viable.

At a public meeting in Netheravon, attended by more than 100 villagers, calls were made to bring in another doctor's practice to occupy the new surgery.

Residents spoke of the problems patients would have travelling to Upavon and Durrington if they didn't have transport and chairman of Netheravon parish council, Mary Towle, pointed out that there was a lot of social housing in the village and many families did not have cars.

There was also a large number of elderly people who would face difficulties getting from the village to either Upavon or Durrington.

David Burke, vice chairman of Netheravon parish council, said over the past four years a lot of work had gone into purchasing land for a new surgery. Planning and legal issues had taken a considerable amount of money and man hours by the parish council, the primary school, the Phoenix Hall committee and the Sarsen Housing Association.

He said it had had the support of the Avon Valley Practice and its decision now to abandon it was a "bitter blow."

The Primary Care Trust said the future of the Netheravon surgery was going out for public consultation starting on June 1 and during the six week period the public would have the opportunity to give their comments.

The trust said the consultation would allow all parties involved to explore any possibilities for compromise and there would be future public meetings and patient consultation with all those with the Avon Valley Practice.

The trust said working across three sites is hampering efforts to provide the high standard of services the Practice wantsto deliver.

The Netheravon building is out-of-date, does not have proper disabled access, has only very limited parking facilities and has such poor sound-proofing that when patients are talking to their doctor or nurse, they can be overheard in the next room.

Mrs Towle said: "The consultation period will give anyone a further chance for dialogue and hopefully, given goodwill, a realistic solution can be found that will satisfy both Avon Valley Practice and the local community."

The outcome of the consultation will be reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Wiltshire County Council in September and a recommendation will be made to the Primary Care Trust.