PROTESTERS marked the end of the public consultation over care home closures by urging county councillors to make an 11th-hour U-turn.

MPs, councillors and union bosses who have branded proposals to close 35 homes for the elderly a grave mistake today told the decision makers to prove they had listened to people's concerns.

The four-month consultation over the future of Lancashire's care homes -- including 19 in East Lancashire -- officially ends today, six weeks before 10 county councillors decide their fate.

When the proposals were announced at the end of January, county councillor Chris Cheetham, in charge of social services, said the money saved from closing and selling off the homes would be spent on improving services so people could be cared for in their own homes in future.

The closures would also enable Lancashire County Council to avoid a £14.5million bill to refurbish the homes and bring them up to standard.

The plans caused outrage, prompted hundreds of petitions and a Lancashire Evening Telegraph protest march in Burnley attended by 600 people.

On Wednesday, a delegation of homes protesters handed in thousands of objection letters at 10 Downing Street.

Burnley mayor Coun Gordon Birtwistle handed in a petition at county hall yesterday.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "The county council have no choice but to change their original proposal.

"Tens of thousands of people have objected, the majority of Lancashire's MPs are against it and it seems the only people in favour are the county council."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "The consultation has been loaded in such a way that I think there will only be one outcome and that would be a kick in the teeth for all the people who have been involved in the consultation process up until now.

"If the final decision is anything other than keeping the homes open then a lot of people will feel cheated."

Coun Cheetham said: "We have made a point of going into all the homes and seeking the views of people in the homes.

"We have explained what we are doing and why we are doing it. They seem to understand that and we have had to reassure people we won't just dump them in the street.

"This consultation is a real one. We haven't made a final decision on what we will do yet."

But Lib Dem leader at County Hall David Whipp said: "I think the consultation exercise started out as a public relations exercise, after all, who makes a decision and then asks for an opinion?"

Carole Lukey, branch secretary for Unison, said: "We can only hope the consultation has worked and that they have listened.

"The only way we will know if they have listened is if they do what we have all asked and that is forget these plans and look for another way forward."

Burnley MP Peter Pike said: "If they stay at square one it will show the consultation will have been pointless.

"I am confident it will have made a difference and that the plans we see in the end are different. Whether they are acceptable will be a different matter."

Lynne Atkinson's mother Marian Storey has lived at Acorn Lodge in Accrington for three years.

Lynne has helped lead the opposition in Hyndburn and today explained why: "She was cared for at home but that was no good at all. I was constantly worried sick that if she had a heart attack or something, nobody would be able to get there in time.

"It doesn't matter what they say, no amount of home care, no matter how flexible it is, can be as good as having staff on call as soon as something happens."