A WIRRAL medical centre has been closed for a week due to a maggot infestation.

Staff at Eastham Clinic on Mill Park Drive discovered the insects on the ground-floor and in the car park.

The temporary closure has been in place since yesterday.

Patients were informed by a notice on the door advising that the closure was due to "unforeseen circumstances."

Pest control engineers have visited the clinic today and have carried out a full assessment and treatment of the infected areas.

The cause of the infestation is not believed to be due to Eastham Clinic but has spread there from a nearby source.

The medical centre is not due to reopen until Monday September 5.

Wirral Globe:

A spokeswoman said: “We took the decision to temporarily close Eastham Clinic on Friday, August 26, following the discovery of maggots within the ground-floor and car park.

“Our priority is to maintain high quality care and safety of patients and the wellbeing of staff.

“Therefore with immediate effect, all services including the walk-in centre were relocated to alternative sites.

“Pest control engineers contracted by NHS property services attended the property and carried out a full assessment and treatment of the area.

“They confirm that the cause of the infestation was not within Eastham clinic but from an external source.

"A full deep-clean of the clinic has taken place.

“We pride ourselves in the delivery of high quality care and are working hard to reinstate services in the building once it is safe to do so.

“We anticipate this will be Monday, September 5, subject to clearance.

“The trust carries out infection prevention and control audits to measure compliance against national standards and to ensure we provide a safe, clean environment for our patients and staff.

“All trust premises are audited at a minimum annually by one of the trust's infection prevention and control nurses and consistently high scores are achieved in each of our premises.

“Environmental health services have been informed of the problem.”