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Pensioners who need help being helped back to their feet after a fall at home will be charged £26 by their local council.

Tendring District Council said it would introduce the fee as part of its Careline service for elderly people who require home care.

An elderly rights campaign group has described the charge as "shocking" and equivalent to a 'falling fine'.

The £25.92 annual charge means a carer will come to pick an elderly resident up after a fall.

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If it is not paid, in addition to the existing £21.60-a-month Careline fee, then an ambulance would need to be called.

(Image: Getty)

Michael Le Cornu, chairman of Tendring Pensioners' Action group, said: "People are being fined for falling.

"The simple fact is, you are getting penalised for falling and these people are the most vulnerable in our society. How is that right in this day and age?

"It really is quite shocking. This sort of thing shouldn't be happening in the 21st Century.

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"We have paid taxes all our lives for health services - this was supposed to be our insurance, but now we are being asked to pay again."

Labour opposition group leader Ivan Henderson also hit out at the plans.

He said: "It's immoral they would even consider charging elderly people to pick them up when they have already signed up to pay at least £20 a month to be a member of Careline."

(Image: Alamy)

"These people will have no other option but to pay because if they don't, they're going to be lying there on the floor aren't they?" he added.

A Tendring District Council spokesman confirmed the annual £26 charge will be added to the overall cost of the Careline package.

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He added the service would be available 24/7 and the charge is required to pay for one member of staff to provide the cover and one vehicle.

The new policy, if agreed by the full council, will come into force in April.

(Image: Getty)

At the moment, Careline users who fall at home have to wait for a paramedic to help them.

But under the new policy, Careline staff will go to their aid and get the user sitting up and assess the situation before an ambulance is called, in a bid to cut the number of call-outs to falls paramedics receive.

If the patient requires hospital treatment, an ambulance will be called.

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Paul Honeywood, the Tendring councillor responsible for housing, said: "Once the funding ended we decided to look into whether we could continue and add this to the overall Careline package and cover the costs.

"Having consulted users we have discovered there is a demand and the idea is now going through the budget process with a final decision to be made in February."