GP patients' anguish over proposed closure of popular Wigan chemist

The pharmacy affected is in Wigan Road, Bryn, next to a GPs' surgery.

One of those affected, Paul Woods, who is disabled and partially sighted, said: "It's devastating. This Boots is at the hub of the local community and always extremely busy. It is also the end user for the vast majority of prescriptions issued by Bryn Cross Surgery, which is directly next door.

"Without this pharmacy the area, and particularly the elderly and disabled, will find it very much harder to fill their medical needs.

"The only other Boots in the immediate area is at the Gerard Centre in Ashton. That store is far smaller and obviously not next to a surgery."

Mr Woods, 66, added: "Boots claim they are only closing uneconomic store but this surely can't be the case here. It is busy all the time. Indeed, so much so that it can often take a few days to get a prescription filled. Boots also seem to have reduced the staffing level at this store in the last couple of years."

It is understood the store is due to close in mid-January of next year.

Boots announced what it called a “store consolidation” programme earlier this year, which included the closure of some stores which were in “close proximity” of another store. However, they did not release a list of stores that were closing and declined to make a statement on the future of the Bryn store.

However when Mr Woods approached the chain to make clear his unhappiness about the closure of the Bryn chemist, Boots replied: “We continuously evolve the shape of our store estate to make sure we have the right stores in the right places to best serve our communities.

"In addition to rejuvenating existing stores, over the next year Boots will continue to consolidate a number of stores in close proximity to each other, along with selling a small number.

“The majority of stores affected (86 per cent) are within 5kms of another Boots store. This means that 82 per cent of people living in the UK will remain within a 10-minute drive of their nearest Boots.

"Ultimately, we believe this programme will lead to a better and more reliable service for our customers.”