LOCAL chemists gathered support from hundreds of customers in their fight to fend off cut-price medicines.

The chemists are being backed by Burnley MP Peter Pike in their opposition to the idea of abolishing retail price maintenance.

He sent copies of a petition gathered at pharmacies to Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell and to the Office of Fair Trading and added his own weight to the argument by arguing the case in support of the present system.

Said Mr Pike: "Local chemists rely on the sale of non-prescription medicines and products to subsidise their other activities.

"If the RPM were to be abolished large supermarkets with the resources to undercut prices would force many chemists to reduce the range of products stocked, or ultimately to close.

"Local chemists play a vital role in the community are are especially important for the elderly, people with young children and for those who do not have access to transport."

Mr Pike added that health minister John Horam had drawn the attention of the Office of Fair Trading to the concerns of people living in the Burnley area but was unable to comment further about the abolition plan.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.