Election candidates have been called on to lend their support to the cause of elderly people fighting to keep their homes.

Janet Carr, who is spearheading the campaign to stop South Oxfordshire Housing Association (Soha) closing Windows Court in Wheatley, has called candidates to arms, urging them to back the parish council's attempts to save the elderly residents from being moved.

Mrs Carr, a parish councillor and Age Concern Link, said: "It's inhumane and cruel to move people at their age. It will be devastating for them. We want to get this decision reversed."

In an appeal to south Oxfordshire candidates Boris Johnson, Kaleem Saeed, Mark Stevenson, David Turner and Delphine Gray, she said: "Elderly occupants who wish to remain in Wheatley have been given no guarantee by SODC/Soha that they will be able to do so if moved.

"Please, your support is needed now. We need your commitment to overturn his decision with immediate effect in order to remove the very dark cloud which now hands over all Soha tenants, especially sheltered tenants, many of whom need reassurance which is the knock-on effect of Soha's decision and relayed continuously to me and others by very frightened people."

She said that all tenants had a guarantee card from Soha reads 'security for you, your right to live in your home is secure'.

"I think it should mean what it says," said Mrs Carr.

Helena Taylor-Knox, supported housing manager for Soha, said: "They are assured tenants and we will honour their tenancy agreements. It's not going to get to the stage of serving a notice to evict anybody.

"It will take as long as it takes to find suitable alternative accommodation for every tenant.

"There is no pressure on tenants to move quickly. It will be handled sensitively.

"In this case it could be years before everybody moves.

"Our board has taken the decision that Windows Court is needed for general needs -- South Oxfordshire District Council have a 1,000 long waiting list for housing.

"We did not take the decision lightly."