JANE Stephens was so confused and weak they had to cradle her head all the way to her new nursing home when she was forced to move. One week later she was dead.

Her son, Thomas Stephens, is convinced the move contributed to her demise. And he warned that Durham County Council's plans to close 17 of its 25 old people's homes could severely unsettle hundreds of elderly residents.

However, not everyone was upset at the plan to close the homes, which could result in more than 350 jobs being lost.

Many elderly people involved in the care industry are convinced that the plan to build five "extra care" homes would significantly improve the service.

But Mr Stephens, of Annfield Plain, whose mother died on Sunday, said the council would be better to leave elderly people alone.

He said: "My mother had to be moved from the Hayrick, in Lanchester ,which is a private home closing down. She was 93, so I can't say for sure the move caused her to die. But she was going blind and deaf and did not really understand. You can't move people of that age around like that."

His views were echoed by Eric Cook, of Willington, near Bishop Auckland, who told of his shock when he read the news of the closures in The Northern Echo.

"My mother is in Albion House, in Willington. I went straight down there. People were shocked. They were saying: 'We're not going to move, we like it here'."

Residential manager of East Green home, in West Auckland, Lorraine Frost, said one or two of the residents and staff in the home had been upset. But she said many staff and management accepted that things had to change.

Residents Jane Crooks, 91, Robert Moody, 72, and Dorothy Money, 94, at the Moor Grange, Spennymoor, were all pleased that their home would be replaced by an "extra care" home, which will help support those who want independence.

A spokesman for Durham County Council said the move was forced on the authority by the Government. It would face a bill of £60m to upgrade homes to new Government guidelines.

The changes will take place over three years, and many staff will be retrained and employed elsewhere. A consultation exercise will continue for six weeks.