ELDERLY and disabled residents living in sheltered accommodation in Hampshire are set to lose their out-of-hours wardens .

They say the wardens are lifesavers and if they are axed it could lead to crucial delays in emergencies.

Residents of 652 properties of First Wessex in the county currently have a warden they can alert during evenings and weekends by pulling an emergency cord.

But that service is being withdrawn – meaning from 5.30pm until 8.30am every day and for the entire weekend, vulnerable tenants will instead be connected to a call centre in Bristol.

Emergency calls will be passed on to the police, fire or ambulance service – but residents fear the lack of a warden will mean time is lost during life-threatening situations.

Ernie Tubb, 71, who lives in a First Wessex bungalow in Bursledon with his disabled wife Jacqueline, 70, said: “If someone has fallen over and they can’t get up the only way to get in without a warden would be to force entry, which would slow things down and be very distressing for residents.

“We’ll still be paying £12.19 per week – but it will be for a service we’re not getting.

“At the end of the day you’ve got elderly people who have done their bit for this country – they worked through the war, picked the country up off the floor, and now they’re being treated like rubbish.”

Diane Andrewes, of the Eastleigh Southern Parishes Older People’s Forum, said that it could lead to more elderly people moving into care homes.

She said: “Tenants feel that existing support services are barely adequate and the proposals to further reduce support, will add to stress, feelings of vulnerability and isolation.

“They may need residential accommodation as the result, losing their independence for peace of mind.”

Rick Smith, director of Age Concern Hampshire, said: “I fear that removing this service will only increase the burden of isolation that older people can suffer from over weekends and evenings – and that is without considering the safety implications for older people.”

A spokesman for Hampshire County Council said: “The funding for First Wessex for a range of services has reduced as a result of the reductions in the funding that Hampshire County Council receives from the Government.

“We understand that they are changing the way that the alarm service is delivered and are not closing the service.”

The Daily Echo contacted other housing associations to ask if their warden provision was changing. Radian said that their services were staying the same. The Hyde group said it did not have any warden-assisted schemes in Hampshire. FIRST Wessex says the change from August 13, is because their Supporting People grant from Hampshire County Council has been reduced.

They say the cut led to two voluntary redundancies in April, but no other jobs have been lost because of the changes to warden services.

Head of care Louise Cumberland said: “We have had to make changes to our care and support services to make sure our funding is targeted to provide the right level of support to those who need it most.

“Our customers will still receive the same level of support in an emergency, however there will no longer be a support worker on call out of hours.

“During evenings and weekends our current alarm contractor will remain in place so customers with personal alarms can contact them 24 hours a day, 365 days year.

“They hold the most up-to-date information about each customer and will contact the appropriate people, organisation or emergency service according to the situation.

“We have worked hard to communicate the changes to those affected, to support them in understanding the service and to reassure them that we will work with our partners to make sure a plan is put in place which takes account of their specific needs.”