AN 84-YEAR-OLD great-grandmother is today settling into her fourth home in less two years following the sudden closure of a Waterfoot rest home.

Scout Rest Home, in Burnley Road East, closed on Monday when owners Sheila Birt and her brothers Michael and Tom went into voluntary liquidation.

All of the home's nine residents had to find alternative accommodation the same day due to a lack of money to pay staff.

The Birt family blamed the closure on Lancashire County Council's policy to encourage and fund people in their own home. They claim the policy led to vacancies which left little money to fund the £50,000 cost of work required to bring the home up to scratch under the new national Care Standards Act.

But the family of Annie Barrett, who has nine great-grandchildren, said if the pensioner had not been forced to move from sheltered accommodation in Rawtenstall two years ago she would still be living on her own.

Mrs Barrett's daughter Anne Crane, from Stacksteads, said: "She loved being at Constablelee Court.

"She could walk into Rawtenstall from there and go to Longholme Church and she was able to keep her life while she was there.

"Had she been able to stay living at Constablelee Court she would still be living on her own. It was a tremendous shock to all of the residents."

The privately owned warden controlled sheltered accommodation closed because of structural problems and Mrs Barrett was moved by her family into sheltered accommodation at Brandwood in Newchurch.

Mrs Crane said: "She settled into Brandwood but it was a shock to her system that she had to move.

"Then last September she was found by the warden on the floor by her bed and she was totally confused and had to be taken into hospital.

"She was reassessed and the family was told she needed residential care and so we moved her into Scout Rest Home because it was nearby."

Mrs Crane said she returned from holiday on Monday to find her sister had pushed a note through her door saying they had moved Mrs Barrett to Cherry Tree Lodge in Bury Road, Rawtenstall.

She said: "My sister called Cherry Tree Lodge and they said subject to an assessment my mother could be admitted the following Sunday.

"But unfortunately Scout could not provide accommodation.

"Cherry Tree agreed to admit my mother as an emergency and they took her on Monday night, it was extremely good of them.

"I have every sympathy for Sheila. She has been extremely good to my mother and she was happy where she was.

"The home had been going for 15 years so it was a shock that it closed so suddenly."

Mrs Crane said her mother took the closure very pragmatic and described her as "extremely stoic".

At Cherry Tree there is already another family relative and so far she seems fine despite the hurried move.

Mrs Crane added: "Whether there will be any after effect from the move we just don't know."