People with dental emergencies are reportedly being turned away from Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital because an X-ray machine has been broken for more than two months.

Officials yesterday confirmed the equipment has not been operational since September 17.

It is not known how many people have been affected, but the service is used by anyone with a dental emergency outside of normal office hours.

The X-ray machine is operated by staff contracted to the Medway NHS Foundation Trust, but is owned and maintained by NHS Property Services.

One Sittingbourne resident said his dementia-suffering mother-in-law was last month told she would have to go to Medway Maritime Hospital so her severe toothache could be treated.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, had been hoping to get his 81-year-old relative looked after locally because of how challenging it is to travel with her.

However, after calling the Bell Road hospital, he and his wife were allegedly told they had no choice but to travel to Gillingham and were not offered any help with transportation.

He said: “They should have had it fixed by now – it’s bad. I don’t know why they have not had it repaired.

“Over two months is a long time. I would appreciate three or four weeks but there must be companies that repair that stuff.

“It looks like they have not bothered.”

NHS Property Services confirmed its machine was broken, but said its engineers had identified the cause of the problem and were working to fix it.

A spokesman said: “In the meantime, [those needing an X-ray] can undertake this examination at Medway Hospital between the hours of 9am to 4pm without an appointment.

“We have also arranged that patients who are unable to attend Medway Hospital will be prioritised once the Sittingbourne machine is functioning again.

“We thank patients and carers for their patience during this time.”

* Have you been affected? If so email sittingbourne@thekmgroup.co.uk or call 01795 5803000.