PEOPLE power took to the streets of Abertillery yesterday as angry patients marched on a local health board to demand they renew their doctor's contract.

Over 50 demonstrators of all ages braved the rain and chanted, "No more locums" and "We want Dr Skea to stay" at the offices of the newly- formed Blaenau Gwent Local Health Board in the town after a decision was made not to extend Dr George Skea's six-month contract at the Bridge Health Centre.

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition in support of the popular doctor. He has been at the surgery as a locum doctor since the retirement of Dr Buddha Naidu six months ago.

Cheryl Morris and Lucy Harding, both from Abertillery, represented the protesters in an emergency meeting held with Blaenau Gwent's LHB chief executive Joanne Absalom. They emerged 20 minutes later to announce that nothing had changed.

Ms Harding told the crowd what the health board's answer was: "The plans for the future have already been put before the National Assembly. From July 3 there will be a different locum."

She told the Argus that a new locum will replace Dr Skea and be given a three-month contract, with a full-time position advertised at the end of that period.

Mrs Morris said: "The battle may have been lost today, but the war is not over. "We will continue our fight and take it to the National Assembly.

"Once again we in Abertillery are left with the crumbs, not the icing on the cake." Steve Smith, 54, from Oak Street, said: "We are absolutely disgusted. "We have been very fortunate over the last six months to have a doctor of his calibre and quality.

"He's very likeable and he's got a good way of communicating with people." Helen Angell, 33, from Vivian Street, who took along her two daughters, Megan, 17-months-old, and Rhiannon, five, said: "I find him a very good doctor and when you are going through an illness you should have one doctor and not go changing them every six months.

"You feel more at ease with someone once you know them." Dr Skea was unavailable for comment after yesterday's meeting. l In a statement the Blaenau Gwent local health board said: "To sustain and develop services, proposals have been developed to include the practice in the Heads of the Valleys Resource Centre project.

"The most recent locum has come to the end of a six- month fixed-term contract and the Local Health Board has made alternative arrangements for locum cover to continue until the decision about the Heads of the Valleys project has been made."