STAFF at an old people's home threatened with closure have reacted angrily to news they might have to leave much earlier than expected.

Thirty workers at Sunningdale Residential Home, in Ouston, near Chester-le-Street, had been told the Durham County Council home would be closed by March 31, 2004, under a county-wide shake-up.

But in a meeting with council heads this week, they were told the home could be bulldozed as early as September this year to make way for another care development on the site.

The council plans to close 16 of its 25 residential homes, enabling a number of extra care units to be developed to give residents more independence.

The move means 290 job losses across the county, with the 30 staff at Sunningdale facing an earlier-than-anticipated search for new jobs.

Howard Pink, regional officer for Unison, which represents many care staff, said the Ouston home's impending closure made a mockery of the original timetable drawn up by the council.

He said: "It is a matter of major concern if they are closing homes and losing jobs more quickly than set out originally. Unison members are going to be extremely angry and upset if they find out they have been misled by a timetable that at least gave them plenty of time to prepare."

Sunningdale, which celebrated its 30th anniversary two years ago, is top of a list compiled by council officers of three potential sites for an extra care development in Chester-le-Street.

A County Hall spokesman said that Government financial targets meant the town's extra care unit had to be set up as soon as possible.

"The Sunningdale site is the preferred option for the new facility. Because it is the most feasible site we had to have the place ready to start building to meet the deadline.

"We do not view this as being negative move at all. Seven months is ample time to discuss alternatives with residents and relocate the staff within County Durham Care, social services or elsewhere."

Other sites under consideration are at the Hermitage in Chester-le-Street and at Ouston Busty at Urpeth Grange.

The options will be discussed by the county council cabinet, at County Hall, on Thursday.