Doctors across the district are retiring early because of high stress levels and workloads, according to a GP leader.

And they claim they are exhausted by long hours and vast amounts of paperwork, leaving them little time with their patients.

The comments from Bradford Local Medical Committee secretary Dr John Givans came as surgeries across the country prepared to close tomorrow in a bid to highlight their plight.

Dr Givens said pressures were particularly high in Bradford because of higher poverty levels.

He said: "It is more stressful for Bradford doctors as they do have a very high level of deprivation in the population and the time they need to be able to spend with patients is significantly greater.

"GPs are now totally exhausted. It's just got steadily worse and they're having to rush through things and take paperwork home with them. They have little time for recreation or to be with their families.

"We've lost them in their 40s recently and certainly at early retirement at 55."

Dr Robert Ashworth, from the Ridge Medical Practice in Great Horton, said additional involvement with local Primary Care Groups and Trusts had also taken GPs out of the surgery.

He said: "There's an ongoing issue from the last ten years where General Practices have taken on more hospital services. We are also being asked to provide better access to patients without additional resources or more GPs on the ground.

"Now suddenly we have got a large number of GPs who are giving up half a day or a full day a week for Primary Care Trusts. There aren't any GPs to fall back on as the planning to train people at medical school has been so bad for the past 20 years. There is a huge shortage of doctors and it's particularly noticeable in the inner cities."

On a positive note Dr Ashworth said morale was higher in Bradford than elsewhere because of innovative work undertaken in the district.

The average GP conducts more than 10,000 consultations a year, but spends less than nine minutes with each patient. Surveys show morale is at its lowest for eight years with four out of five family doctors saying they would quit if they could.

The British Medical Association is now planning to ballot members to ask if they would be prepared to strike if no Government deal on new contracts was agreed.

Dr Givens said: "For a long time, GPs have been wanting to improve the service they give but have been prevented by their vast workload. The Government is increasing the expectations of the public by an enormous amount.

"The paperwork has increased over the last five years and this takes time away from that spent with patients. Most GPs are not interested in management, they are interested in looking after patients."