Cumnock's Tanyard Muirkirk Group say they are being swamped by incoming calls, as they ask people to look elsewhere for advice if they can.

An "overwhelming" amount of calls are being made to the centre, with people looking for advice before the Christmas period.

Tanyard medical centre will be closed on Monday, December 26 and Tuesday, December 27, but will reopen on Wednesday, December 28.

READ MORE: East Ayrshire GP and pharmacy closures this festive period

As the team work towards the festive break, they have been having a busy Monday and are asking people to seek advice elsewhere if that is possible.

A representative for Tanyard Muirkirk Group said: "We are experiencing an overwhelming number of calls today and our triage team is trying their best to get through to all call requests.

"Can we please remind everyone that if your concern is minor to check the NHS inform website or your local chemist in the first instance.

"This means that the people that really need to get through to us actually manage.

"We really appreciate your continued support."

The team have also sent a warning after reports of scam callers claiming to be from the health centre.

They added: "Please be aware of various scams and bogus calls that are happening.

"We have had a report of a scam call where a patient was asked to pay for their prescription over the phone or they will not be sent their medications.

"Please make family and friends aware of this situation. Fraud advice can be found on Police Scotland’s webpage."