A HIGH street Atherton pharmacy closed for business for the last time yesterday, Wednesday.

LloydsPharmacy's Market Street store is one of 190 outlets across the country which are being shut following an announcement in October.

The business, which has more 1,500 pharmacy shops in the UK, said the closures have been enforced due to recent cuts by healthcare commissioner, NHS England, and increases in "retrospective clawbacks".

A spokesman for Lloyds Pharmacy said: "We fully understand the impact that such changes can have on local communities, especially for people that have been customers for a long period of time.

"As part of our decision making process, we have looked at other community pharmacy provision in the area, such as our branch in Church Street, with a view to mitigating the impact on patients as much as possible.

"We want to support a smooth transition for the community to facilitate an uninterrupted service.

"We will also be supporting colleagues at this difficult time and redeploying members of the team, where possible, to other Lloyds Pharmacy locations where vacancies exist."