MP Sir Ray Whitney has attacked one of the county's leading surgeries for shutting its doors in protest branding the day's closure as 'unprofessional'.

The Doctors' House in Marlow, serving 22,000 patients, made the controversial decision to close on Tuesday following ever-increasing pressures on general practitioners (GPs).

The action is part of National Doctors' Day and many surgeries across the UK will close. The Doctors' House is the only surgery in Buckinghamshire to take this action.

Sir Ray said: "I think it is very regrettable action by them. I am very, very surprised because I believe it to be very unprofessional. In many ways they are a model way of operating primary health care and it is particularly sad they should set this bad example."

But the surgery strongly defended its position saying it was not putting patients at risk.

Mayor Derek Done said: "It sounds horrendous. I hope the people concerned have fully considered their actions and the consequences."

The Victoria Road surgery will be closed to the public on May 1 but staff and GPs will spend the day catching-up on administrative work which they say has increased owing to government policies.

A doctor will be available throughout the day for emergencies

The surgery says the protest is about being staff being overworked and unable to spend enough time with patients, the increase in administrative work, insufficient budgets and inadequate Government plans for more GPs.

Dr Chris North, a GP at the surgery, said: "These are very real problems at the Doctors' House but also for practices across the country. We are not putting people at risk. There's no way we would do that. We are taking this stance to raise the issue which is all about the quality of service."

He added: "Frankly some of the comments that have been made show a lack of understanding of the issues."

The Department of Health also condemned the move, saying: "By working together we hope to make progress on these issues. This sort of action will not be beneficial to that process."