A TOWN is campaigning to save its only chemist's, which could close if a GP surgery is allowed to open a pharmacy.

Ian Irving, who runs the business in Leyburn town centre, said that 80 per cent of patients would use the in-house pharmacy if it opened at the town's medical centre. He said that would mean his income from prescriptions would fall and make his shop non-viable.

He said: "Once the volume of prescriptions drops below a certain level, which it would do, there would be less money to pay wages and staff would lose their jobs one by one.

"Then it would really not be worth hanging on and the town centre would lose its only chemist."

He said that a population of 2,750 prescription patients was generally needed to support a chemist.

His business handles about 80 per cent of the national average number of prescriptions.

Leyburn Town Council has supported Mr Irving's stance.

Councillors agreed that a town centre pharmacy and traditional chemist was needed for residents and tourists.

The meeting heard that Mr Irving's shop, in the Market Place, was open for more hours than the medical centre pharmacy would be and sold items that would be unavailable there.

The application for a pharmacy was submitted to North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust by the surgery in November.

A trust spokeswoman said a two-month consultation ends today, and the application will be considered in accordance with NHS pharmaceutical service regulations.

It is not known when a decision will be made.

Mr Irving, 67, who has run the chemist's for 45 years, said he would like to retire in a few years, but without a business to sell, his plans could be wrecked.

He said: "If this other pharmacy opens, I would have to run the business down. You cannot have a closing-down sale at a chemist's."

Mr Irving said he would apply to the appeals committee at Harrogate if the Leyburn surgery's application was approved.