Thousands of disabled people could lose vital information on specialist equipment after the closure of an Oxford charity.

The Disability Information Trust (DIT) has been forced to shut down after it failed to get Government funding for the first time in 30 years.

Established in 1960, it was the only UK organisation that published objective advice on disability equipment.

It was announced in January that, from March, the charity would not get any more funding from the Government.

Since then staff have been battling to raise the £80,000 needed to stay open.

Despite holding meetings with NHS managers to find a solution to the cash flow problem, no sponsors have come forward to help and staff at the DIT has now announced that it will close.

A DIT spokesman said: "The trustees have been forced to take the painful decision due to the unfortunate ending of department of health funding and the failure to win adequate, secure long-term funding from elsewhere."

DIT, based at the Mary Marlborough Centre, at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, tests everything from wheelchairs to potato peelers.

Its findings are published and sent to health professionals, carers, voluntary organisations and public libraries across the country. No other charity carries out the same work.

Although the Foundation for Assistive Technology (FastT), also based at the Mary Marlborough Centre, has agreed to continue to distribute old DIT publications, it has no immediate plans to take over the role of an impartial adviser.

The charity works with the research and development of disability technology - from wheelchairs to walking sticks.

Project executive Moira Mitchell said: "We may take on the DIT's role in the future, but at the moment we are not in a position to do that.

"It's something that our board of trustees will be looking into."