STEPS are being taken to root out age discrimination in the Darlington area as in-depth questionnaires land on almost 2,000 doormats.

A task force set up the Growing Older Living in Darlington (Gold) group is conducting research into age discrimination and people's perception of it.

The Rooting Out Age Discrimination Task Group wants to hear from people over 50 how they feel they are treated by society.

Enlisting the help of Teesside University Business School, researchers have drawn up a 21-question survey that is being sent to homes, business and organisations throughout the Darlington borough.

It is hoped that the results will help to tackle problem areas of age discrimination existing in the work place and in terms of accessing social, health and community care services.

Gold spokeswoman Claire Llewelyn said the task group's aim was to work with older people to ensure they were aware of their entitlements.

She said: "Age discrimination is a very important issue. Older people need to realise that they are entitled to the same things as everyone else.

"We hope this survey will help us take action to remove anything regarded as discriminatory."

Basic research conducted by the group last year revealed that more people in Darlington believed age discrimination was a problem than admitted to being subjected to it.

Almost 11 per cent of the over 50-year-olds questioned said they had received worse health, social and community care on the grounds of their age.

More than a third perceived that older people received worse treatment, with many also believing age discrimination was rife in their workplace.

Mrs Llewelyn said there were mixed feelings among the over 50s, with some people feeling alienated from younger people and ignored, and others feeling cared for and content with the service's that the town provided.