A total of five petitions have been handed over to the Government supporting threatened community chemists fighting for survival.

Hundreds of Castle Point locals are demanding ministers put a stop to plans to deregulate pharmacies and their battle is backed by Tory MP Bob Spink

The names on the petitions have been collected from regulars at two small independent chemists on Canvey as well as from customers who go to three pharmacies in Hadleigh, Thundersley and Benfleet.

At the moment new chemists are only allowed to open where there is a need for them, but the proposals from the Office of Fair Trading would remove these restrictions - so every big supermarket could include a pharmacy in future.

However, Mr Spink has already handed over the petitions to the House of Commons.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: "Local pharmacies are part of the primary health care service.

"They take a great burden off general practitioners and could do more if regulations were relaxed. They are not merely retailers but professional health care service providers.

"The Office of Fair Trading proposals on control of entry regulations would damage chemists and therefore the most vulnerable people in society - people who are disabled and have low mobility, who have babies in pushchairs or who are elderly. Deregulation would set the pharmacy service back ten years."

Roshan Lal, 49, a partner in Pal Chemists, which has branches in Furtherwick Road, High Street and Long Road, on Canvey said: "If the recommendations go ahead they will have a devastating impact on local businesses.

"If big supermarkets start having pharmacies, smaller businesses will not be able to compete and this would be terrible for the whole community."

Published Monday, April 7 , 2003

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