An Eynsham family which looks after a relative with learning difficulties has warned Oxfordshire social services to take more care of carers before they collapse under the strain.

Many families of people with learning difficulties in Oxfordshire are refusing to pay day centre charges and are demanding the return of a free service.

Other families, including the Walker family of Back Lane, Eynsham, are paying the bill reluctantly.

Susan Walker with her husband Stephen and two of their three sons, Matthew, second row right, and Nathan, left, and her brother Nicky Ayres, centre

They took the decision to look after her brother Nicky Ayres after her father died seven years ago.

Since then Mr Ayres, 33, has been seriously ill with cancer and needs care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

He attends the Moorland Day Centre, in Witney, which costs more than £20 a week, and also has to pay for various activities and courses as well.

Mrs Walker said: "It's a fantastic place but we have to pay. When charges were introduced we took advice and were advised not to pay.

"Like other people we ran up a bill of £2,000, but because of the worry of this large bill hanging over our heads we're trying to pay it off.

"We get very little help from social services but imagine the cost to the ratepayer if we had left Nicky and the county council had had to look after him all this time.

"I think social services and the Government rely on families too much.

"They know we love our relatives too much to see them dumped and so they won't listen."

Social services spokesman Mike Biddulph said he could not discuss individual cases.

"In Oxfordshire we're proud of the improvements we're making, especially for people with learning disabilities.

"The charges were properly approved after public consultation. We believe they represent good value."allnews