'We may have to turn away sick animals' - Newport vets (From South Wales Argus)

'We may have to turn away sick animals' - Newport vets

5:20pm Monday 6th July 2009

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By Alison Sanders »

A NEWPORT vets surgery claims it may be forced to turn sick animals away when the council issues it with an enforcement notice.

Budget Vets on Malpas Road said it could be forced to break the law when dealing with animals who are bought in shortly before closing time.

Budget Vets has planning permission to open until 6pm Monday to Friday and applied to the council on January 19 to extend its opening hours by one hour to cover any remaining patients.

The surgery's clinic director, Peter Heathcote, said this was after neighbours made complaints about the surgery remaining open after hours.

He said the surgery’s doors are and would be locked at 6pm and at 5pm on Saturdays and the phones switch over to the out-of-hours service.

This extra time would allow them to treat any animals which come into the surgery before closing time.

But the application for extended hours was refused on April 10 on the grounds it would cause an unacceptable level of noise and disturbance from people coming and going.

He said the surgery submitted an appeal after the refusal and this is expected to be heard in September.

Newport Council is in the process of issuing a breach of condition notice to the surgery.

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