Disabled and elderly residents living in an Oxford sheltered housing block have had final warning letters about their TV licence because of council delays in buying one.

Some residents at Bradlands in Mill Lane, Marston, have bought £126.50 individual licences because they fear prosecution.

Residents have received three letters from the licensing authority warning them there is no record of them having paid for a licence.

One resident, 53-year-old Jim Saunders, said: "The latest one informed us that officers will be coming round to check people's licences and whether they are using a television, and if we haven't got a licence they will serve an enforcement notice. So basically, a summons to court."

The city council normally buys a concessionary licence for sheltered housing schemes, then collects the money from residents.

Mr Saunders, who moved into Bradlands when his mobility became severely limited by spinal problems, added: "Some people have actually purchased individual licences, and they can't afford that on their money.

"I think we are getting a raw deal."

Council spokesman Louisa Dean said the Bradlands tv licence payment had been held up because some sheltered housing schemes no longer qualified for concessionary licences.

She added: "We have now been able to obtain protected rights for some schemes. We are sorry for the distress that it may have caused, but we are now waiting for the licence."

Residents who bought licences will be refunded once the new one comes into effect.

Marston councillor Mary Clarkson said similar problems had happened last year. She added: "It is always sorted out in the end, but it means that everybody goes through this needless worry."