The shock closure of minor injury units at Bovey Tracey and Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Hospitals has worried community leaders. Teignbridge NHS Primary Care Trust announced on Monday that the units would close for an 'expected' period of three months owing to poor usage and difficulty finding staff. Last month the public were told the hospitals providing the service were shutting for two weeks for deep cleaning and would re-open as normal. But now the trust will not guarantee the MIU services following the 'temporary suspension' which it said was 'intended to ensure that local services are on a sound financial footing and are secure in the long term'. All that Phil Heywood, the trust's locality director, could say was: 'I can guarantee that in three month's time we will have reviewed the services and come to conclusion.' Last year the hospitals' 24 hour minor injury units were cut back to an 8am to 8pm service and now the numbers using them have fallen. Mr Leggatt said Ashburton treated around 13 people a week and Bovey Tracey just nine. Bovey's mayor, Cllr George Gribble, said he was 'extremely disappointed' by the news and concerned for the future. 'I want the PCT to be true to its word and ensure this is a temporary closure,' he said. He said the closures were a 'fait accompli' and at odds with changes in the town. 'We're being encouraged to build more and more houses but the services people need are closing,' he said.

'As a council we'll be on the case and taking this further as although we're generally very supportive of the PCT we certainly don't want this closure to be permanent.' The mayor of Buckfastleigh, Cllr Don Joint, had heard nothing until contacted by this paper. The trust had forgotten to contact him despite claiming it had talked with all relevant parties. 'It would be very serious if they closed down these units and the timing with visitors coming in for their holidays is very poor,' he said. 'Traffic is very bad and trying to get an injured person to Newton Abbot or Torbay could be too much to bear.' Mayor of Ashburton, Cllr Wendy Gill, was the only leader to rein in her reactions and said: 'I've been told the closure is for three months and I'm positive we'll see a re-opening in three months,' she said. Minor injury services remain available at Newton Abbot Hospital between 8am to 11pm.