Elderly residents without personal alarms after fault

Jo Bawden said trying to sleep with the alarms sounding had been "hell"

Elderly residents living in sheltered housing say they are worried after their personal alarm system was turned off due to a fault.

The system at the bungalows in Poole should allow tenants to summon help at the touch of a button in an emergency.

But since a fault made the alarm sound randomly, sometimes for days on end, the system has been disconnected.

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council said it was investigating a permanent solution.

Jo Bawden, 87, said having alarms going off in her home had been "hell" and caused "frustration, annoyance and tiredness".

She said: "You got ready to go to bed, it's midnight, and you can't go to sleep because this is going on the whole time.

"You want to go to bed but you can't sleep so, what's the point? It's really upsetting."

Norman Bowden said the alarms sometimes sounded for days

BCP Council has offered tenants an alternative personal alarm system that works through the landline, however, only three of the 11 affected properties have a landline phone.

The remaining residents have been advised to use their mobile phones to contact the call centre in an emergency.

Mrs Bawden's husband, Norman, said: "You may as well just phone 999.

"It's a problem. People have got arthritis in their hands, they have to carry their phone everywhere, they have to keep their phone charged."

A BCP Council spokesperson said: "Outdated overhead cabling, which serves our properties in this area, has regrettably caused issues with individual lifeline alarms.

"Alongside our current contractor, we are looking into a permanent and future-proof solution to this problem to make sure that the faults experienced by residents don't happen again.

"Any resident who feels vulnerable in their home should contact their sheltered housing officer, who can discuss the temporary options available."