PLANS to move two doctors' surgeries to the edge of Malvern were firmly opposed at public meetings on Monday.

South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust wants to move the practices at Court Road and Victoria Park to a single site on Townsend Way, Malvern Link.

Another surgery, Avenue Road, has already decided to make a similar move.

The trust called two meetings, afternoon and evening, on Monday to gauge public opinions.

The afternoon meeting was heated from the start, after some 40 people were refused entry to Priory Lodge Hall, Avenue Road, because it was full to its maximum capacity of 70.

In the meeting, Drs James Mather and Ken Jarrett from the two surgeries explained the existing premises were too small for them to offer all the services they wanted.

PCT chief executive Mike Ridley and his team were bombarded with questions, many criticising the inaccessibility of a surgery on Townsend Way. Some said moving the surgeries out of Barnards Green and the Link would harm the economies of those areas.

The PCT team were quizzed about how hard they had looked for other sites. Possibilities mentioned included the old treasurer's office in Church Street, Malvern Town Football Club's ground, land in Barnards Green where a Tesco was proposed and the old South Hereford Garage.

Most people were sceptical about the trust's intentions.

One man said: "I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's all cut and dried. I get the impression this is being put before us. Like the war in Iraq, we've got it, like it or not."

When Mr Ridley insisted the trust was genuinely listening to Malvern people, he was answered by laughter and heckling.

At the close of the meeting, people were asked to call out their support or opposition for the move. No-one shouted out in favour of it.

The same concerns were raised at the evening meeting, hastily moved to the Abbey Hotel, where some 90 people turned up. Although it was less heated than the afternoon, feelings proved just as firmly against the plan.

Mr Ridley told the evening meeting the trust would take as much time as was needed to consider alternative sites for the surgeries.