A concerned son has complained to the chief executive of Morrisons after its in-store pharmacy in Ripon stopped delivering prescriptions.

Jonathan Parkin’s mother, who lives in sheltered accommodation in Ripon, received free deliveries from the pharmacy for several years.

But the service ceased this month — leaving Mr Parkin’s family rushing to find alternative arrangements before her medication ran out.

During a recent visit to his mother, she told him she was worried about her supply of tablets expiring in a day or two. He helped her call the pharmacy, which told them its delivery van was no longer in use and the service had ended.

Mr Parkin subsequently wrote to David Potts, chief executive of Bradford-based Morrisons. His letter, which was also sent to the Stray Ferret, says:

“My mother is obviously heavily dependant on her medications so to be told this delivery, which she had come to rely upon, and I’m sure many other elderly people have as well, had now been stopped was devastating and very worrying to her.”

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The letter also accused the company of not communicating the news adequately to customers, some of whom, like his mother, are vulnerable. He added:

“We will obviously now have to find an alternative pharmacy with a delivery service, which is a pity as my sisters and I always did our own family shopping as well as our mother’s when we took her prescription in and so will not now be shopping in Morrisons again due to this heartless, penny-pinching decision.”

Mr Parkin, who lives near Pateley Bridge, today told the Stray Ferret he was glad his family became aware of the situation before Monday, when the Queen’s funeral could have caused major problems getting hold of the various tablets his mother takes.

He added he had yet to receive a response to his letter from Morrisons.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Morrisons but has not had a response.