Staff at the Surbiton Health Centre apologised after patients suffered mayhem on the phone lines for the third week running.

Patients who spent hours trying to telephone their GP are now being assured the problem will soon be resolved.

Dr Phil Moore, GP at the centre, said: “We’re disappointed that there have been problems with the phones at Surbiton Health Centre and we apologise to any patients who’ve had difficulty getting through.

“We’ve been planning the move for months and, while other aspects went very smoothly, unfortunately a number of factors have affected our ability to take phone calls.

“These include an initial problem with phone lines being transferred, higher call volume due to increased numbers of phone lines, and staff getting used to the new system.

“Phone lines have now been transferred and we hope to get any remaining teething problems resolved as soon as possible.”

The £9m state-of-the-art centre opened its doors to patients on March 4.

The phone lines were transferred to a different provider on March 26.