A PENSIONER has criticised a council's decision to stop a free gardening service for elderly and disabled tenants.

Former Labour Party secretary Norman Button has hit out at Wear Valley District Council for making cutbacks in its housing maintenance policy.

The council used to weed borders and cut grass at homes of tenants of pensionable age, or those who were physically unable to do the work and did not have a relative nearby.

But in an effort to improve the housing department's poor financial state, the council has withdrawn the service saving between £55,000 and £60,000 a year.

Mr Button, 65, said: "I used to have a lawn. Now it is like a jungle.

"Older and disabled people are being made to suffer because of poor accounting in the council. If it could plan its finances better we wouldn't have to live like this."

Michael Kelleher, the authority's head of neighbourhood operations, said the council was looking at new ways to help tenants with gardening, such as working to develop projects with the Probation Service.

He said: "The councillors are particularly concerned that this has had to be done because of the spiralling costs of the service. Possible avenues to help those tenants affected are now being explored."

Harriet Gibbon, chief officer with Age Concern, said garden maintenance was a problem for older people across the county and that the charity was looking at ways to help people in Wear Valley who no longer have access to the council service.