THE county director of Age Concern has told pensioners to get in touch if they are concerned about new charges for the Lifeline Alarm Service.

North Wiltshire District Council is introducing charges for the Lifeline, which has previously been provided for free.

The service, which was introduced by the council in 1986, provides elderly people with an alarm which can be worn around the neck, or fitted in the home.

The alarm can be triggered by the user in an emergency and it provides speedy access to an emergency operator, 24 hours a day.

More than 600 people in sheltered housing use the service, but now they face having to pay £8.82 every quarter from next April, while those in their own home will pay £8.74.

New users will be charged the increased rental in full, with those already linked to the service facing a gradual increase over the next two years.

The increase will affect elderly residents in the North Wiltshire area, including places such as Highworth and Wootton Bassett.

The decision to increase the charges was made at a meeting of the district council's executive committee last month.

The council said the increase was needed because it had no extra money to extend the service.

But the decision to charge for the service, has angered many users.

Age Concern Wiltshire director Liddy Davidson, said she can understand why having to pay for a service which had previously been supplied for free may be seen as a daunting prospect for some pensioners.

But she insists the Lifeline service is a vital one, which has provided help for many people in the area.

She said: "Nobody welcomes any charges going up for a service as vital as this, but we live in a world where services are short.

"These charges will obviously affect some people.

"Wiltshire is a fairly well off county, but there are people who are on a low income and we work very hard for those people and we do not want to see them without this service as a result of the increased charges.

"If people are concerned about this, we would be prepared to look at the issue with them and see if there is any way we can help residents find a way they can keep it.

"I would urge people not to turn it down because they think they can't afford it."

Anyone existing users who are concerned, they should ring North Wiltshire District Council on (01249) 706304.

Age Concern Wiltshire can be contacted on (01380) 727768.