A ROW surrounding the closure of a Rossendale nursing home escalated today as it was revealed that all 16 elderly residents had been moved out within two days of hearing the news.

Rowell Grange Nursing Home in Woodlea Road, Waterfoot, was closed yesterday with the loss of more than 20 jobs.

Receivers KPMG Corporate Recovery pulled the plug on the home on Monday after a £135,000 sale fell through last week.

Residents, which include a woman of 101, and their families were told they would have to move out and members of Lancashire County Council's social services department have helped find alternative homes.

But chairman of the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Community Health Council Frank Clifford said he was furious at the way residents had been treated.

He said: "It is quite, quite disgusting and wholly unprofessional the way these dear people have been mishandled. Somebody should have stepped in and stopped this before these people were moved out in a matter of days.

"The quiet acquiescence of the authority in this matter has angered me and I am quite unhappy. "I will be looking for some serious answers about the whole affair." But County Coun Doreen Pollitt, chairman of Lancashire's social services committee, said the decision to close the home was not taken by the authority.

She went on: "This is a private home where the receivers have been called in and our role has been to assist in ensuring that the welfare of residents was properly provided for while the distress for them and the home's staff was dealt with.

"It was important for the receivers to be confident about the adequacy of care arrangements between the date of their decision and closure early in January. Obviously they were not confident so, despite short notice, we have discussed options with residents and families.

"This is an example of how we, as an authority, have to act quickly in these situations."

Mike Seery, receiver and partner in KPMG, said the company had offered to keep the home open in the short term but was advised by the authority that it would be better to relocate residents before Christmas.

Staff were expecting to receive their redundancy notices at a meeting today.

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