PATIENTS in need of a NHS dentist face a three-hour round trip from Barrow to Whitehaven, figures reveal.

New data from the British Dental Association (BDA) shows Barrow is the worst-hit area in the country as the industry’s recruitment crisis deepens.

Adults in Barrow in need of a dentist face the longest journey to find a practice taking on new patients with the nearest local surgery 45 miles away in Whitehaven.

Those in Windermere face an equally challenging logistical nightmare with the nearest practice taking on new patients being in Maryport - an 86-mile round-trip.

The BDA said a practice in Barrow has reported permanent jobs left unfilled for five years and is operating at quarter capacity of its workforce.

Meanwhile a leading recruitment agency has told the BDA that they have been unable to fill any posts advertised across Cumbria in the past 12 months.

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock said the NHS 'needs to up its game'.

“This is an issue that local dentists have been approaching me about for some time, but it is still concerning that my constituents are being directed as far as Whitehaven,” he said.

“This is placing a clear barrier to accessible, and affordable, NHS dental health care that should be guaranteed under law.

“Arbitrary quotas are forcing Barrow dentists to turn patients away and our local practices are failing to recruit as a result of mounting pressures.

“It is a vicious cycle that is forcing those who can’t spare the time or money to travel to forgo vital dental treatment.

“The NHS needs to up its game when it comes to recruitment and retention, particularly in towns like Barrow.

“Our dentists are unfairly shouldering the burden by having to foot the bill to meet hefty government targets.”

A BDA survey found 75 per cent of NHS practice owners in England struggled to fill job vacancies last year – rising to 84 per cent among those with the highest NHS commitments.

BDA vice chair Eddie Crouch said: “The facts are if NHS practices can’t fill vacancies then we can’t treat NHS patients.”