A Somerset weekly newspaper is backing a campaign to reinstate an out-of-hours pharmacy service.

Almost 750 names have been collected on Somerset County Gazette petitions in support of Wellington Town Council’s campaign to keep the out-of-hours pharmacy service in the town.

Hundreds of people from the villages of Wellington, Milverton and Wiveliscombe filled in forms which were published in the County Gazette and also circulated at local shops.

The chemist rota service ended last Saturday after Somerset Health Authority decided it was no longer viable.

But town council members say that they owe it to those people to keep up the fight for the Sunday and bank holiday chemist rota to be reinstated, and are calling for urgent talks with the authority.

The health authority reached its decision following a request from one chemist in the town and subsequent consultation with GPs, pharmacies and Somerset Community Health Council.

But Wellington Town Council says that it was not consulted and that members are unhappy about the closure.

The Save Our Service campaign was launched in conjunction with the Taunton-based County Gazette.

County Gazette editor-in-chief Ken Bird is a Wellingtonian himself.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “Wellington is a town with only 12,000 people so to obtain 750 signatures is quite an achievement and we will continue to press the health authority to reverse its decision.

“We like to think that we are involved in the future of our community and as such we will try to do anything we can to help safeguard vital services.”

Local MP Jackie Ballard backed the protest.

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