PENSIONERS across West Devon and Torridge could lose their disability benefits if the Government creates a national care service.

Geoffrey Cox, MP for the constituency, voiced his opposition to the Government's new plans to scrap disability benefits for the elderly in Devon.

The small print of Labour's plans for a national care service reveals they plan to scrap attendance allowance and disability allowance to pay for it, said Mr Cox's office.

An average of £3,400 a year would be taken away from 2.4-million pensioners across the UK, which was equivalent to a quarter of the average pensioner's income.

In West Devon and Torridge this would affect 4,890 pensioners, 3,690 of whom received attendance allowance, worth an average of £60 a week, and 1,200 of whom received disability living allowance, worth an average of £75 a week.

Mr Cox said: 'The Prime Minister has chosen to penalise one of the most vulnerable groups in our society for the sake of another of his eye-catching announcements.

'As with every Government initiative, someone has to pay and, as with many of them, it is once again those who are least able to afford it who have been hit.

'These benefits provide vital support for disabled pensioners, giving them the chance to lead an independent life with the freedom to tailor their care to their needs.

'Of course we need to do more to help people with their care costs, but it is completely wrong to do so at the expense of disabled pensioners.

'I will fight to protect our pensioners and fight against Gordon Brown's plan to scrap benefits for the disabled.'