ONE of Scotland's leading private fertility clinics is to close just five years after it was first granted a licence.

IVF Scotland in Edinburgh, part of Spire Healthcare Group, which has hospital and private centres throughout the UK, will stop treating patients from the end of February next year.

In a statement it said it had ­experienced a drop in the number of patients because of a recent change by the health service that allowed couples to get more treatment on the NHS.

Last year the Scottish Government agreed to grant patients under 40 across all health board areas two rounds of IVF on the NHS and couples, where the woman was between 40 and 42, one full cycle of treatment.

However, earlier this week The Herald revealed a postcode lottery in treatment was still harming ­infertile couples' chances of having a baby because of long waits at some centres.

The statement from IVF Scotland said: "Over the past few years NHS Scotland's funding for fertility treatment has changed significantly and whilst we're delighted that more patients are able to access funded treatments via the NHS this does mean the clinic has seen a reduction in patients since opening.

"As NHS-funded patient places continue to increase and waiting times come down, it is inevitable that the clinic's numbers will continue to decline and so we have reached the difficult decision to close."

Elayne Greene, IVF Scotland ­manager, said: "Needless to say, we will be doing our utmost to ensure our patients are supported throughout until our closure and beyond if need be."