DOCTORS could not access patient records after a computer system crashed for three hours.

Staff were left struggling at the Colne Medical Centre, in Station Road, Brightlingsea, this morning.

Practice manager Caroline Bowden said the problem was caused by a fault at the software provider’s main server in Leeds, and would have affected any surgeries using the system.

The fault was resolved shortly after 11am, and the surgery is moving to a new system next week.