Residents of the Lavender Court flats in Gaywood used to use a private gate in their boundary fence to get to Gayton Road Health Centre.

It was closed for safety reasons during the building of an extension to the health centre early this year and later sealed off without consultation and with only 24 hours warning, say the residents.

They signed a protest petition and wrote to the centre and have now appealed to NW Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham and Gaywood councillor Bill Dawes for help.

Mr Bellingham has talked to the pensioners and said he hoped to discuss the issue with centre managers during a forthcoming visit to the surgery.

Cllr Dawes is urging the centre to reopen the gate on "humanitarian" grounds.

Muriel Toby (80), said residents understood why the gate had to be closed while construction work was going on but believed there was no longer any health and safety objection to them using it.

Mrs Toby said she attended a meeting at the surgery on October 11 last year when the closure was mentioned.

"I asked if it was just a temporary closure. I was told there was no question of it being permanently closed and when the builders left the site it would be reinstated," she said.

Betty Hodgkingson (79), said she received a letter from the health centre about 18 months ago about the building work. "It said the gate would be safe," she said.

Mrs Hodgkinson, who also used the gate as a short cut when going to church, denied there had been any safety problems.

"No-one has had any trouble with vehicles in the car park. There have been no problems and no accidents," she said.

Joe Pegg (74), said he and his wife, Bridget (75), had used the gate two or three times a week to save walking along Lavender Road, which was "not the safest of thoroughfares."

The footpath was incomplete and walkers had to negotiate uneven sections and parked cars.

"We are both quite active at the moment. Many of the residents have trolleys and use sticks and find it rather difficult walking down there," said Mr Pegg.

Going to the surgery through the gate was no more dangerous than entering from Gayton Road.

"You still have to keep your eyes open for vehicles entering and leaving the car park," he said.

He also denied that residents using the gate would impede staff exiting in an emergency.

Mr George Mackee (89), said all the residents were united in wanting the gate restored and there was no logic in closing it.

"I found it very, very useful and used it quite often to get prescriptions and see the doctors.

"It's very difficult to go the long way round and it takes about 15 minutes instead of five," he said.

No-one from Gayton Road Health Centre was available to comment when contacted by the Lynn News.