SOUTHAMPTON'S Bitterne Walk-In Centre will close at the end of the month.

City health chiefs say it will close its doors for the last time on October 31, and have again defended the decision to shut the popular facility.

There was a huge public outcry after plans to close the centre resurfaced for a second time earlier this year, but health bosses say residents will not miss out on services as a result.

The Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had originally unveiled a pilot plan to close the centre last year but that was temporarily shelved.

However the plans were back on the table earlier this year and despite a 2,000 strong petition and a backlash from politicians it was decided last month that it would shut.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, CCG chief officer John Richards said the local NHS was in a "tight position" financially and that 86,000 people in the city now had a long-term health condition.

He said: "This means the services themselves have to change and we also have to look at the relative priorities of the services we are able to fund in order that we make sure we are meeting the needs of the people who need the services most.

"It is tough times for the NHS and the public sector. Something has to give.

"We struggled last year to maintain community nursing services that support people with long-term conditions, and the view of the board was that the priority outweighed that of keeping the walk-in centre open.

"We know there is a very strong affection on the east side of the city but those needs can be met in other ways."

He said the NHS 111 helpline service would be able to help residents "effectively manage" many conditions and added: "it's important to reassure people that when they need to see a doctor the walk-in centre didn't provide that anyway, and an out-of-hour service is available".

Some residents, including Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith, had criticised the way the consultation was carried out with some people saying they felt the CCG had ignored their views.

However Mr Richards insists the 12-week consultation was valuable and said: "We learned that there is a perception on the eastern side of the city, that is based on reality, that services on the eastern side of the city have been eroded and aren't as good as on the other side."

He said discussions with bus companies and other organisations were also underway about providing help for people on the eastern side of the city who struggle to make it to health facilities on its western side, and that the consultation showed the CCG needed to "tell the public at large the truth of the tight situation that the NHS finds itself in locally and nationally".