A UNION has added its weight to the fight against the closure of 35 elderly people's homes across Lancashire.

Public services union UNISON has written to politicians pointing out that 1,000 long-term elderly residents in the threatened homes -- and their families and friends -- are also vote-holding constituents.

UNISON has condemned the hugely controversial closure plans as a "fundamental degradation" of an essential public service.

And it says lives could be put at risk if elderly people are disrupted so dramatically by being uprooted from familiar surroundings.

Across East Lancashire, 19 homes are earmarked for closure, shedding hundreds of bed spaces.

Residents in homes which are closed will be sent into the private sector or rehabilitated to live at home.

The county council said it needs £14.5million to fully refurbish the homes.

The money saved from the closures will be used to pay for more domiciliary care, enabling people to stay in their own homes for longer.

UNISON claims 1,200 jobs are at stake, and is now calling on elected politicians to make their voices heard on behalf of the electorate.

Carol Lukey, Secretary of UNISON's Lancashire Branch, said: "The condemnation of Lancashire County Council's proposed closure programme has been widespread and vociferous.

"It is clear that the residents do not want to be uprooted and the staff do not want to be forced to transfer to private sector care providers.

"We are calling on our politicians to reflect the wishes of the voters in this region and start using their power to scrap these disastrous proposals.

"When we receive their replies we will publicise the information to step up our anti-closure campaign.

"The anxiety among residents and staff which this is causing is utterly unacceptable."

Cliff Williams, acting joint regional secretary for UNISON in the North West, believes the vast majority of politicians back the campaign to stop the closure programme.

And he said the fears for the future of staff and residents were causing a massive crisis of morale in the elderly care sector.

Mr Williams added: "We are desperately concerned about the rising care costs which the elderly face and the declining security of the service.

"Our members are among the most dedicated and caring workers in the whole of the public sector and their clients are among the most vulnerable in society.

"Our campaign will focus on our elected representatives who are charged with protecting the interests of their electorate against the vested interests of business and we feel it is high time they made their position on these closures loud and clear.

"This could become a single issue election across Lancashire and the politicians will do themselves nothing but good by supporting public opinion about these crucially damaging proposals."

Lancashire County Council's leading cabinet members this week insisted the proposals were not cast in stone and could change.

"I hope there is another way of doing things so we don't have to make these hard decisions, but we need people to tell us what they are," said council leader Hazel Harding.