Pensioner Stan Smith has conceded his one-man fight to stay at the home he has lived in for 14 years.

Mr Smith fought to remain at Nyewood House, Bognor Regis, since it closed nine months ago.

But after losing a legal battle on Friday, when an appeal against a possession order failed at Chichester Crown Court, he has decided to leave the rest home.

Mr Smith, 80, had said he would stand his ground when bailiffs came to evict him.

However, his brother Clifford said the decision had been inevitable after every legal avenue led to a dead end.

He said: "Stan has taken a few days to get his mind around it but he has now accepted it and wants to walk out with dignity.

"They had made the decision they were going to evict him and that meant two choices.

"He could stay until they forcibly manhandled him out or he could leave with his dignity intact.

"He felt as if he might have been giving in, but the pressure has been horrendous and there is a breaking point for everyone."

However Clifford Smith said he feared the impact of the move might prove fatal.

He said: "Mortality rates rise when old people experience stress. All over the country old people are being made to leave their homes against their will and it amounts to a death sentence.

"I believe we are going through an elderly people's culling."

The ordeal has taken its toll on Mr Smith's health as he has battled to stay in the home which once housed more than 40 people.

Clifford Smith has also found the battle difficult. He said: "It's been so emotional. After the decision on Friday I just couldn't face breaking the news to Stan.

"I was prepared for the worst, but when I actually heard it, it was just awful. I am a tough, resilient man who keeps going when things get hard, but this has left me fraught."

His brother will be relocated to another retirement home in the area.

Dozens of supporters are expected to turn out when he leaves, probably on Thursday.

Clifford Smith said: "It is hard to say how many people will be there.

"If people are going to protest though, it will be in a dignified manner.

"We are not going to stoop to their level."