THE shortage of dentists in the Malvern area is "outrageous", MP Sir Michael Spicer said this week.

He has written to health secretary John Reid and to Mike Ridley, chief executive of South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, to find out what they intend to do.

Last week, 5,000 NHS dental patients registered to one surgery in Malvern were told to go elsewhere or join a private plan.

Mr Spicer said: "The solution is for the government to re-establish relations with dentists, so that a good proportion of them continue to work in the NHS.

"In the short term, the answer must be for the trust to recruit dentists to replace those who are leaving. This may even require them to attract dentists from outside the country."

Two eastern European dentists have verbally accepted posts with South Worcestershire PCT to work in Malvern.

The hope is they will cater for NHS patients at a privately-owned practice and Osborne Court NHS practice.