AFTER 60 years in the community, a Cleator Moor surgery has been demolished – possibly to make space for eight houses.

Built in the late 1950s, the Wath Brow surgery on Ennerdale Road along with the Wyndham Street Surgery provided GP and dental services.

Both facilities were closed down with the arrival of the £6.5m Cleator Moor Surgery on Birks Road which opened last year.

Doctor Ian McAndrew, who joined the Wath Brow surgery in 1971, said that there was a great medical team and a sense of community spirit at the facility.

“When I joined, there were only four doctors there so it was a small, hardworking team,” said Dr McAndrew.

“But this meant that work was tough because the demand for medical services in the area was huge.

“This meant that a lot of the time we were on call and it was our wives who would double up as secretaries for us at home.

“Unfortunately, the building wasn’t up to modern standards and I can see why it’s been knocked down, but it’s sad to hear it’s gone.”

Dr McAndrew stayed at the surgery for 14 years before he left to become a medical officer at Sellafield in 1985.

Wath Brow resident, Teresa Fitzsimmons, 52, said she has fond memories of the surgery and that there was a sense of community there.

“It was a much more community-orientated clinic than the new one in Cleator Moor, because the doctors, nurses and health visitors knew who you and your kids were,” said Teresa.

A spokesman for Copeland Council said MC Architecture & Design in Liverpool put forward the planning application to have the building demolished with the intention of building eight houses on the land.

“In order for these houses to built, the council would have to receive and approve a further planning application and we haven’t received one yet,” said the spokesman.