Elderly residents will be evicted from sheltered accommodation after a council decided to sell their homes.

Wealden District Council's cabinet agreed yesterday that Towermill Place in Polegate should be sold on the open market after officers declared it was below standard.

The cabinet promised that the 19 residents, aged between 75 and 97, who live there would be given first priority should any homes become vacant at sheltered housing scheme Joan Hughes Court, which is also in Polegate.

But the decision came as a shock to residents and their families who packed the meeting at Wealden District Council's offices in Hailsham.

Kay Carpenter, 82, who has lived at Towermill Place for ten years, said: "We're all very sad. When we went there we thought we were there to stay. It's a shock to all of us.

"There is a great community there. If we split up, it would be very hard for all of us, especially at our ages. There's not a lot we can do but the council has promised to be helpful and try to accommodate us."

Rosemary Battles, 62, whose mother Mary Hughes, 85, has been a resident for four years, said they would seek legal advice to stop the council moving the tenants out of their homes.

She said: "The council must understand that this is not just about economics, it is about people's lives. All the residents want is to be left in peace to enjoy their homes as a close-knit community."

The residents and their families had been campaigning to stay in their homes after the council announced they would have to move out while improvements were carried out.

The council had not decided whether it would be a temporary or permanent move but the pensioners were fighting for the work to be done in stages so they could all stay together in their homes.

On May 24, Mrs Battles delivered a 2,725-signature petition to the council's chief executive, Pat Kennedy, expressing their views.

But the council recommended that Towermill Place be sold after failing to win a £1.2 million grant from the Government to bring the site up to modern standards.

Yesterday, the cabinet agreed that future development on the site will have to incorporate at least 30 per cent rented affordable housing and any capital receipt will be reinvested in affordable housing and council sheltered schemes.

It also agreed the council's strategy must ensure adequate provision of sheltered accommodation in Polegate and Willingdon.

Councillor Margaret Kirkpatrick, cabinet member for housing and community development, said the decision was the right one but everything would be done to find the residents' suitable alternative accommodation.

She said: "There is little demand for sheltered accommodation.

"People wish to stay in their own homes for as long as they possibly can. The demand for sheltered accommodation, particularly bedsit accommodation, has dropped dramatically."