Residents in Lacock hope an offer from the National Trust will save their threatened village surgery. The preservation group says it will let out an alternative building if it means saving the service.

The current surgery, at Cantax House, which has 305 patients on its books, is due to close at the end of March because health chiefs say the building is outdated and unfit for its purpose.

Leo Stevens, chairman of the Lacock Tenants' Assoc-iation, who has been campaigning to keep the service in the village said: "It appears the practice is only satisfied with a standard of provision that they have at the new surgery in Melksham. How-ever, if an alternative site is found within the village we will all be very pleased."

Bosses at the Spa Medical Centre, Melksham, who run the surgery, are worried the building will not comply with disability discrimination legislation which comes into force in April, highlighting the slippery path and staircase leading up to the consulting room as some of the main areas of concern.

The closure would force patients to make the two-bus trip to Melksham instead.

But the National Trust believes the offer of a more suitable, alternative building could iron out the problems.

A spokesman said: "The Trust's view is the issues raised are not insurmountable and can be overcome.

"The Trust is keen to work with the surgery and make the current building work.

"We would be prepared to let an appropriately sized house to the surgery. Normally we get one or two houses becoming vacant every year, so I would expect there to be a house to look at sometime within the next six months.

"I would suggest the current formal notice to terminate the lease at Cantax Surgery to be put on hold."

In November, more than 80 people attended a public meeting in the village hall to voice their anger over the closure.

They fear the proposal will hit vulnerable elderly patients hardest because many would struggle to visit GPs in Melksham.

At the time of going to press nobody from Spa Medical Centre was available for comment, but the Kennet and North Wiltshire Health Scrutiny Panel was due to discuss the proposed closure at a meeting in Monkton Park at 10.30am today.

Cllr Judy Rooke, North Wiltshire District Council's lead member for health, said: "Should the surgery closure go ahead it would be essential for alternative means of travel to be put in place, coupled with an acceptance that the number of home visits will be likely to rise as might demand for ambulance services."