COUNCIL bosses wrote to a dead pensioner to tell him that he could no longer claim free school meals.

The blunder occurred in a letter sent to Roly Cooper after his death from heart failure at the age of 77.

It also said his housing benefit had been cancelled and told him how to appeal against the decision.

His angry relatives say that they informed the council of his death more than a week earlier.

And, of course, he was far too old to claim free school meals in the first place, having left full-time education during the 1930s.

Stepdaughter June Walker has called for an apology from officials at Gateshead Borough Council.

Company boss, June, 55, of West Moor, North Tyneside, said that Second World War veteran Roly died in hospital on August 29 and the council was told the next day.

A death certificate was sent on August 31 and arrangements made to return the keys to his council flat in Whickham, Gateshead, where he had lived for 14 years.

A spokesman for the council said yesterday: "When someone leaves a council property the computer system generates an automatic letter to the tenant.

"We are setting up a system to make sure it doesn't happen again.