NEIGHBOURS on a County Durham housing estate have formed a campaign group to fight against the introduction of the so-called bedroom tax.

The residents have already organised one public meeting and delivered hundreds of leaflets around their estate in South Stanley and now hope to meet MEP Stephen Hughes to take their fight to Europe.

Linda Elliott, a 67-year-old veteran of campaigns over the poll tax and miners’ compensation, said: "It is a simple, basic human right to be able to have your family stay overnight.

"What they are doing is Medieval - it is going to divide families.

"If you have a bairn who is hungry what are you going to do? Spend the rent on food. People will turn to these loan sharks, it will lead to depression, it will lead to marriage break-up.

"There will be more homeless families because people are going to be evicted from their homes because they can’t pay the rent."

Among her neighbours in Holly Hill Gardens West is 71-year-old Doreen Greener, whose family have lived in the same council house for 64 years.

Her four adult children have long moved out, leaving her alone in the three-bedroom house, and although she is exempt from the bedroom tax she believes the change is unfair on younger families.

She said: "My mam and dad came here in 1949 when I was only seven.

"I would not leave here for anyone. I wouldn’t leave - I would die of a broken heart."

Among those facing a cut in their benefit is Lesley Johnson, a 56-year-old who recovering from breast cancer and shares her three-bedroom house with a lodger.

She said: "I can barely cope now, but it’s a case of just having to cope".