PENSIONERS group Age Concern has backed elderly campaigners fighting to save a council wardens' scheme.

Wear Valley District Council has faced fierce opposition to a move which would save £200,000 by replacing 22 on-site wardens with its Homeline mobile service, based in Crook.

Some housing complexes would also lose their community centres which, residents say, are an important meeting place for tenants.

Peta Cockburn, Dales development worker for Age Concern Durham, has urged the council to find another way of saving the money.

Taking away the wardens would increase the isolation of a particularly vulnerable group, she said.

Under the proposals, instead of daily checks the council's call-centre service would offer one intercom call a week and one personal visit every three weeks.

Although councillors have already agreed in principle to the move, consultation is continuing.

Councillor Brian Myers, who chairs the district's housing and environmental services committee, said letters had flooded in from all parts of Wear Valley about the move.

He said: "As part of the consultation exercise the council is talking to agencies like Age Concern before any final decision is made.

"We welcome their opinion as experts in the field and we will take heed of their concerns when we make a final decision."