CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans to close residential homes have said they may resort to fresh legal action.

Under plans by Durham County Council to modernise elderly people's care provision, it has announced that 16 homes will be closed and replaced by extra-care facilities.

The programme has already begun, with the first phase of closures now complete.

Legal challenges by families of residents at homes in Barnard Castle and Leadgate, which form part of the scheme, have so far failed to affect it.

To canvass opinion on the issue, the Durham branch of public sector union Unison held a public meeting at Durham Town Hall.

Among those who attended were Paul Thompson, assistant secretary of Durham County branch of Unison, Durham County Council social services director Peter Kemp, and Mark Oley, from the Residents Action Group for the Elderly (Rage).

Mr Thompson said it was clear that opposition to the closures remained strong.

"There are obviously people who are being affected by the home closures who are still very angry that the home their relative is in is still faced with closure," said Mr Thompson.

"There is a group of people from Watling House, Leadgate, and Albion House, in Crook, who are adamant that they want to persuade county councillors that they are wrong.

" They are going to campaign to keep their homes open, using Rage to help them and, if necessary, make legal challenges against the county council."

Mr Kemp sympathised with people's fears, but he said that the closures were necessary.

The council has said it wants to move away from the "institutional environment" of residential care and allow elderly people to live independently for longer.