TWO disabled RAF veterans have slammed Boots for introducing a charge to deliver their prescriptions.

Kenneth Voss, 75, and his wife, June, 68, both have medicine delivered once a week to treat a range of ailments.

The couple have been receiving medication, including tablets, creams and patches, for the last six years.

However, they were shocked to discover they now have to pay a £5 delivery charge when they phoned the chemist yesterday to find out where their usual delivery was - and claim it will be cheaper to get a taxi to the shop and collect their prescription.

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Mr Voss, of York Road, Bingley, takes daily medication and his wife said she takes 12 different types of medicine a day.

Under the new rules, patients can choose to pay a one-off fee of £5 for delivery or subscribe to 12 months of deliveries for £55.

Prescription deliveries made to a single household, at the same time, will only incur a single delivery charge

The Voss' receive a delivery a week and say they will struggle to pay the charges.

Mr Voss, who takes medicine primarily for a high blood pressure, said: "I thought Boots were making enough of a profit without charging people for being ill.

"I've had my medicine delivered for the last six years and my wife is the same.

"I'm going to have to get a taxi and that's going to be cheaper than a delivery charge.

"I might have to ask them to transfer the prescription to somewhere I can walk to."

Boots introduced the delivery charge from September 30 for patients who wish to have their medicine delivered from the store.

The high street store's online repeat prescription service includes free postal delivery for all patients, while patients are exempt from the charges if they are requiring urgent end of life care or a pharmacist has determined there is an immediate clinical need.

Mr and Mrs Voss met when they served in the RAF and have been married for 45 years.

They are great-grandparents and say they cannot rely on their family to pick up the medication they need to take every day.

Mrs Voss said: "We both take medicine daily and I have at least 12 items everyday.

"Our family live in Keighley and Menston and there is noone to pick the medication up for me.

"We are on a limited income as it is and we are both disabled.

"I need morphine and it's hard to get all that through the post."

Richard Bradley, from Boots, said: “Community pharmacy is unquestionably facing challenges and we need to adapt our offer to respond.

"As a result, we have invested heavily in digital technologies to offer a free, easy-to-use service for delivery of repeat prescriptions ordered online.

"Patients who make use of the in-store service will be required to pay for delivery should they require it, with exceptions in place to cover our most vulnerable patients in circumstances where their care necessitates delivery.”

The High Street store, which has 2,485 outlets across the UK, was founded in 1849 by John Boot - a farm worker from Radcliffe-on-Trent, in Nottinghamshire.