A dental practice in Newtown is set to close after struggling to attract another dentist to take over the business.

Clifton Dental Practice will close on June 30 following owner Chris Himsworth's decision to retire after 43 years in dentistry.

"Unfortunately, despite trying to arrange for someone to continue the great work that we have done here in Newtown, we have been unsuccessful in our attempts to attract another dentist to the area," Mr Himsworth said.

Patients have been told that appointments scheduled after Thursday, June 30 are now cancelled.

In a letter to patients, Mr Himsworth added: "After 43 years of dentistry, it is now time for me to retire and spend time with my family and friends. We have made many friends during the 26 years that we have lived here, it has been very rewarding building a successful business, and we are proud of our team and the service we have provide over the years."

RELATED NEWS: Welsh Government faces fresh questions on dentistry crisis in north Powys

The Welsh Liberal Democrat party has raised concerns over the closure of a dental practice. Party leader Jane Dodds along with Newtown Central and South councillors David Selby and Kelly Healy have written to the Welsh Government asking it to assess the potential impact on the Newtown area as dental services struggle to deal with demand.

Party leader Jane Dodds said: “This latest closure comes as mid Wales is already experiencing extortionate pressure on dental services, especially for NHS patients.

“We have heard horror stories of people in mid Wales in the last few months being so desperate to get onto a practice list they have had to remove their own teeth, it is vital that Labour keep on top of this crisis.

“Separately I have also asked the Minister to outline how she envisions that new dental reforms will lead to an increased capacity of 5,000 new NHS dental patients. While this goal sounds terrific, it is not clear how it will be met, especially if we cannot even attract dentists to replace those retiring like with Clifton. There has also been no clear timescale outlined for achieving this target.”

According to the British Dentistry Association, access to services for new patients in Wales has more than halved since 2012, dropping to just 15 per cent of practices accepting new adult patients.

Montgomeryshire’s Senedd Member Russell George said he has received rising numbers of concerns from constituents who cannot access dental services.

He raised his concerns with Health Minister Eluned Morgan in the Senedd this week, telling the minister that his local constituents cannot access a local NHS dentist.

Clifton Dental Practice will close on Thursday, June 30.