Angry Baildon residents fear lives are at risk after they have been left without a vital emergency link for more than two weeks.

And they are furious that they are still being forced to pay for the 24-hour warden service despite the fact that their Careline link has been severed.

Winifred Preston, from Knoll Park Drive, said: "It's really disgusting and outrageous. We can't believe it. It is bad enough that we don't have the service, someone could be killed in their home and have no-one to help. But it's even worse because we are still paying for it."

The sheltered housing accommodation accommodates more than 50 people - many are elderly and some are blind.

Mrs Preston said: "It's all right for me because I can get up and go looking for the warden but what about other people? Some of them are quite elderly and if they need urgent attention it is going to be extremely difficult for them.

"It is also quite disgusting that we are having to continue paying for the service when we are not receiving it. The rents have steadily gone up and up and now we are paying £10 a week for the Careline and I have never even used it."

A Bradford Council social services spokesman apologised for the problem. "We are sorry that Careline has been unavailable for two weeks for residents at Knoll Park. The link was severed during a storm on May 17 when cabling and other equipment was damaged.

"We reported the matter to our technical supplier immediately but the company informed us they were waiting for replacement parts. The warden has been carrying out extra visits to residents in the last fortnight.

"Engineers are now working at the complex and hope to get all the flats linked up again as soon as possible.

"We sincerely regret it has taken so long to fix."