Parents are ready to take Oxfordshire County Council to court if a respite centre for their disabled children is closed.

They are considering mounting a legal challenge if the Summerfield Resource Centre, in Wootton Road, Abingdon, is one of three out of four centres to be closed as part of large-scale budget cuts.

They claim that the county has a legal duty to provide services for disabled children.

Colin Webster, whose tearful wife Angela came close to walking out of a meeting between parents and council officials, said: "I think a group of parents will be seeking legal advice. My own impressions are, yes, there would be a challenge.

He said he and his wife, like other parents, had left the meeting worrying just what sort of future their families faced if the centre closed. Children who need round-the-clock attention are currently cared for there, allowing parents and siblings to enjoy some much-needed respite.

Phil Hodgson, the county's assistant director of social services, painted a gloomy picture of Summerfield's future at the meeting, stressed that the authority had been forced to abandon its no closures policy because it was having to make cuts of up to £4.8m. As a result, three out of its four respite centres were being recommended for closure - they are St Nicholas House, in Littlemore, Oxford, Sycamore House, in Banbury and Chilterns, in Henley.

Mr and Mrs Webster's autistic son Daniel, five, is cared for at Summerfield where there was trained carers and 24-hour advice and they fear their lives will be ruined if it is closed.

Mr Webster said: "We came away from that meeting feeling very despondent. I didn't feel they came up with any alternatives."

Decisions will be made at the county budget meetings on February 9 and 16 when the county holds its budget meetings.

Story date: Monday 01 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.