A WORLD War Two veteran and his wife who have both suffered falls at home are being forced to pay for an emergency pull cord in their flat.

Roger and Barbara Turner, both in their 90s, live in sheltered accommodation at Cherwell Close, Tolladine, Worcester.

Fortis Living, the housing association which manages their flat, wrote to them this month telling them they must pay £2.71 per week (£10.94 a month) for the privilege of having the cord which their furious family have described as 'a tax on the vulnerable'.

Between them the couple receive £192 per week in state pension which recently increased from £189. But the family say the benefits of this pension increase have been completely wiped out by the introduction of the cord charge which is an almost identical amount.

Mr Turner, aged 93, and his wife, aged 90, have lived at the flat for the last 30 years Both have suffered falls and have had to pull the emergency cord.

The alarm cord connects to a central hub in Malvern and once pulled someone is dispatched immediately to respond.

Both suffer mobility problems and they say the charge will limit their ability to afford taxis.

Wardens do not live on site but call once a day to check on the welfare of residents, the family said.

Fortis Living said the alarm charge was not covered by housing benefit so the couple needed to make regular payments to cover the cost.

Mr Turner, who served in the Royal Air Force in North Africa and was a Metalbox engineer in Worcester, has lived in the flat for 30 years and has never been charged for the service before.

Mr Turner, who is partially sighted, said: "Naturally I was a bit cross but what can one do? We're speaking out on behalf of all the residents of Cherwell Close. I'm sure they're all feeling exactly the same as us. We're all in the same boat. Everyone is suffering because of it. There are 51 flats here.

"A lot of them won't know what to do are who to contact. To think we have been here all these years and this happens all of a sudden. It's a case of pay or get out. That's the feeling I get. It's just the stress. they give with one hand and take away with the other."

His wife has suffered two strokes, walks with a stick, is deaf and has arthritis in her hands.

Mrs Turner said: "We have been here all this time. Why, all of a sudden, do we have to pay?"

Their daughters, Pauline Kuipers and Julia Hagelthorn, who are both visiting from where they live in the Algarve in Portugal, are concerned about the charges.

Mrs Kuipers, whose husband Jan has already complained, said: "I'm pretty horrified. It is very important they have the cord. Dad can't get up if he falls over."

Peter Gill, assistant director of care and customer services said: “We appreciate this is a difficult situation for Mr and Mrs Turner and our supported housing team will be contacting them to see if they can assist.

"This situation has occurred due to cuts to Worcestershire County Council’s budget, as they funded the alarm service until April 2014. Worcester Community Housing pledged to pay the charge for 12 months after to reduce the impact on tenants and this has come to an end in April this year. We have kept the charge as low as possible at £2.50 per week as many competitors charge around £4 per week.”

If a customer pulls the alarm at any time of the day, it will go through to Telecare which is a third party company not part of Fortis Living.

Telecare will assess the situation and make a decision on what action to take.  If  the resident has fallen and has not injured themselves, then the Fortis Living’s Falls Response Team will be contacted to go and assist the person. 

If they have injured themselves after a fall or require medical attention in an emergency, they would call an ambulance.