FAMILY doctors have called in a security firm to protect their surgery after repeated attacks by vandals. Stonecross Surgery, in Street End Road, Luton, Chatham, is paying £120 a week to protect the premises.

Vandals have caused £1,000 of damage by breaking windows, fences and signs over the past three months. The GPs say pleas for help from the police and Medway Primary Care Trust have been ignored.

Dr Kali Mahapatra said: "The vandalism was happening all the time, you would come in every morning and find some damage, either a window had been broken or some tiles. They set fire to a wheelie bin so we have to have metal ones now. And we have had two or three dumped cars we've had to get rid of.

"The vandalism takes time when we should be treating patients and it causes stress which is not good for the surgery. We asked the police for help and the health authority but they wouldn't do anything. In the end we decided to pay for a mobile patrol out of our own pocket."

Acting practice manager Jan Winter said: "The problem started around May bank holiday when two or three windows were smashed. In June, there were three or four more and someone climbed on to the roof and broke a roof window which will cost around £500 to repair and hasn't been done yet."

Neither Medway Police nor Medway Primary Care Trust were available for comment