PROTESTERS claim the eventual closure of a day care centre for the elderly was "completely botched".

Bromley Council decided to close the Belle Grove day centre in Mickleham Road, Orpington, in March last year.

The move, which is expected to save the council £50,000 a year, was fiercely contested.

It saw the Belle Grove Action Group seek a judicial review against the decison.

The group failed in its bid in July last year.

Bromley's assistant director for older people David Roberts told the High Court the majority of the 47 users would be transferred to new centres by August.

Five months on, Belle Grove has finally closed its doors, with its users visiting the Saxon Centre in Chislehurst, and the Elmstead Centre in Orpington.

Joyce Pitham, 82, used Belle Grove for 27 years, but now has to divide her time between the two alternative centres.

Her son Peter says the delays and closure left his mother, who became temporarily bedridden with distress over the matter, "confused and unsettled".

Mr Pitham said: "I think the council has let all of us down.

"The closure and transferral have been completely botched."

He added: "The whole thing has been handled atrociously and the elderly have suffered.

"The council has provided an alternative but I and many others are far from happy with the new arrangements."

Mr Pitham made an official complaint about the closure and surrounding delays last November.

Orpington MP John Horam also became involved in the row to demand answers.

But at the time, the council publically refused to comment and Mr Pitham says all of his complaints were refuted.

He added: "I was told the changes were not what had made my mother ill. But I know they did, I asked her.

"I am not asking for the world, I just need the comfort while I am working, my mother is going to be looked after."

A council spokesman said: "As promised, Bellegrove day centre only closed once an alternative service was available for former users.

"We have made every effort to minimise the impact of the move on individuals, working closely with users and carers."

She added: "Bellegrove was one of three day centres serving a single area of the borough, none of which ran to capacity.

"The decision to close the centre was about making effective use of our resources to give older people in the borough the best possible service for their needs."