Pensioner Peggy Rousell is threatening to superglue herself to her chair rather than leave her home.

Mrs Rousell, who has lived at Nyewood House, Bognor, for the last four years, is refusing to leave despite a letter from social services warning the residential home will close on September 1.

Mrs Rousell, 83, and Stan Smith, 79, are the only two residents left at the home and they say that is where they are staying.

West Sussex County Council said keeping the home open for just two residents is costing £240,000 a year, which would pay for more than 22,000 hours-worth of home care for other elderly people or 39 places in a residential home.

But Mr Smith said: "The letter is a bloody sauce and I am not shifting."

Mrs Rousell was equally defiant. Asked what she would do on September 1, she said: "I shall sit in my chair and put some superglue on it."

There was a storm of protest 18 months ago when councillors voted to shut Nyewood House, in Hawthorn Road, together with three other homes. A huge protest campaign was launched and an action committee formed to try and save the complex, which opened in 1970.

The county council said it would give residents as long as they wanted to find alternative homes and 40 people have gradually moved out.

Social services chief John Dixon said the decision to set a closure date was taken by an all-party group of councillors.

In his letter to the two remaining residents, Mr Dixon said: "The county council does have responsibilities to other older people of West Sussex, many of whom are being denied services because of the cost of keeping this home open."

He maintained the council was honouring its undertaking to allow them as much time as they needed to find alternative homes.

He added: "It was obviously never intended that this would mean people could remain in the home indefinitely."

But Mrs Rousell said: "I don't want to move. Everybody here is so kind, the food is nice and I get all the care I need."

Mr Smith, a resident for 13 years, said: "I want to see this place stay open for the elderly people of the district."

Martin Lury, a member of the Nyewood House Action Group, said the council had broken a promise not to pressurise the residents.

He said "If sending them a letter saying the home will close on September 1 is not pressure I don't know what is.

"We will continue to support the two residents for as long as they choose to remain at Nyewood House"