Yeovil care home closure sparks anger from staff

The luxury care home is based in Yeovil

A care home in Somerset has closed amid claims staff haven't been paid for more than a month.

Residents at Tyndale House in Yeovil were told they had 28 days to find somewhere else to go.

Somerset County Council is now trying to find residents alternative accommodation after the announcement.

Carlauren, the company that runs the 18-bedroom home, said it is having serious cash flow problems and had no alternative but to close the facility.

Carlauren Group, which describes itself as the "UK's leading innovator" of care services, has been planning to get residents of upmarket care homes to pay for their rooms using a new crypto-currency.

Resident Julia Hart said: "It's disgraceful, and really a bit daunting to say the least.

"I sold my house to come into Tyndale."

Another resident, Marion Kemble, added: "I'm worried sick. I don't know where I'm going to go.

"I've never cried so much in all my life because I'm scared where I'm going to end up."

Care workers have told the BBC that they have stayed on at the home for the past month despite not being paid, as they did not want to abandon the vulnerable residents.

Owen Towner was one of a number of employees who staged a temporary sit-in at the company's Yeovil headquarters on Tuesday to demand unpaid wages.

"All they could say was they didn't know where they could get the money from, and if they could pay anything," he said.

Chief operating officer of the Carlauren Group, Andrew Jamieson said a third of the money owed to staff had been paid into their bank accounts and he aimed to pay the remainder over the coming week.

He added that he had no choice but to close the home.

Marion (l) and Julia are both worried about where they would be housed