OUTRAGE has met the decision to close a second family planning clinic in the space of three months.

The clinic at the Chingford Health Centre, in York Road, has closed after having recently been moved from Silverthorn Centre, in Friars Close, in March.

Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, Iain Duncan Smith was “astonished” at the news as there is “a lot of young families” in the area and all within “easy walking distance”.

Andrew Acton and his wife were advised to see a GP or travel to Walthamstow or Leyton after being turned away from the Chingford clinic last week.

The father-to-be described it as “completely unacceptable” to expect Chingford residents to travel so far for what is an “essential health service”.

Mr Acton said: “By definition GPs are generalists and not specialists in the area of sexual health and well-being.”

The former Conservative minister and councillors met mothers outside the York Road clinic on Friday (May 13) to discuss the change.

Mr Duncan Smith added: “You want these services to be in easy walking distance and with the council urging us to not use our cars so much.

“Then you move services like this further away it’s rather counter-productive.

Mum-of-three, Agnese Farina, of Hampton Road, Chingford, was told the news as she came out of the health centre.

She said: “That is awful, how can they can do that?

“What is just a 10 minute walk for me will now become one hour if I have to go to Leyton.

“It makes you wonder who is in charge of making these decisions, they have not got a clue.

“It will put people off from going and then they wonder why people end up pregnant.”