RESIDENTS living in Lancashire's doomed care homes today warned they may not survive being forced to move.

Every single care home resident in Lancashire faces being moved after the Labour-controlled authority forced through plans to close 32 of the 48 care homes.

The 16 which will remain open will undergo massive remodelling and refurbishment, during which time Coun Chris Cheetham, in charge of social services, said residents would have to move out.

Residents have been told to expect to move up to twice, with no guarantee being given to residents in homes being refurbished that they will return to their current homes once the work is complete.

Ann and Harold Hacking have lived at Castleford Home, Clitheroe, for the elderly for 10 years. They spent weeks fearing they could be separated if the plans went ahead before councillors reassured them.

For them to stay in their district -- Ribble Valley -- during the refurbishment would involve them moving to Fell View, Longridge, which will probably close when Castleford is revamped.

Ann, 77, said: "We don't want to move out, even if it is only temporary. This is our home and we want to stay here. Can they not do the work around us? Our family are near here and we get to see them a lot. People don't seem to understand, they are doing things to our home we don't want them to."

Jim Aldred, 94, who has lived in the Clitheroe area all his life, added: "Every day for me is a bonus at my age, that is how I see it. I don't want to move and I don't know many people could cope with it. I don't think we have been listened to. Do the council know they are dealing with real people's homes?"

Fellow Castleford Wilf Wilson, 78, added: "The repairs would be nice I suppose, but not if we have to move as well."

At Northlands Home For the Elderly in Great Harwood, those residents who understand the news are struggling to take it in. Norman Hickey visits his wife, Phoebe, at the home every day. While she still recognises him, illness means she struggles to understand anything else.

Fighting back the tears, he told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: "I went to the meeting at County Hall where the councillors said the residents understood why they wanted to close the homes.

"Most of the residents don't even know what is going on. All this place needs is double glazing and some small refurbishments, that is it. I think moving them will be disastrous. Some of them won't make it and it will be all the council's fault.

"They have ignored 60,000 people. They don't care, they may have come here and spoken and claimed to have listened, but actions speak so much louder than words."

He has written to the 31 councillors who opposed Thursday's closure vote to thank them for their support. He also plans to write to the 40 Labour councillors to tell them what he thinks of their 'cowardice.'

"The very fact they can be councillors and take part in what they think is a democracy is because people in these homes fought in the war," he said. "They should be ashamed."

At Thursday's meeting at County Hall, a three debate took place on the homes, with both Coun Cheetham and council leader Hazel Harding pledging that they would look after pensionersOAPs.

Part of the resolution involved 'significantly reducing' the number of pensionersOAPs admitted to county care homes. Initially, residents who would have gone into their homes will go into the private sector, but over time they would be expected to take up domiciliary services.