PLANS for a new NHS dentist surgery in the heart of the Ribble Valley have been approved in principle - despite fears it would only treat patients from Accrington.

Dentists behind the proposed practice in King Street, Whalley, will move from a former NHS surgery in Accrington and have pledged to take their 5,000 existing patients with them.

But it prompted fears the new practice would exclude potential patients and contribute to village already congested road system.

But councillors on Ribble Valley Council's planning and development control committee last night approved a recommendation to back the plan to transform a mid-terrace house.

Like the rest of East Lancashire, the Ribble Valley is in crisis over the lack of NHS dentists. It has just two practices, forcing patients to travel as far as Southport.

Ivan Hargreaves, of King Street, told the meeting many Whalley residents were against the plan. He said: "NHS dentists are few and far between but the applicants are leaving a practice in Accrington and have invited their 5,000 patients to follow. That will create a traffic nightmare in a conservation area."

However, councillors voted to approve the scheme after hearing the Highways Agency had no fears over potential traffic problems.

Coun Frank Dyson told the committee: "We have a major shortage of NHS dentists so to turn down this on the basis of concern about traffic would be nonsense."