Care home bosses refute claims of villagers

Care home bosses on the Shropshire border have today defended themselves after being accused of allowing vulnerable children to run loose in a village.

Residents of Adforton, near Leintwardine, say Mill House Care Home, on Paytoe Lane, which shelters vulnerable children should be shut or moved. They claim its youngsters have made village life a misery for a decade.

They say the children abscond regularly, forcing police to search the village for them.

However Keys Group, which took over Mill House last year, said there are only three children in the home, there 'through no fault of their own'.

Keys representatives spoke at a public meeting on the issue last Thursday evening in Adforton where they heard from residents about problems caused by some of the children who have stayed at Mill House.

Furious locals at the meeting included Only Fools and Horses actor John Challis who had to jet back from Hawaii in February after his Grade I listed property on Paytoe Lane was raided by children from the home.

Wendy Chambers, chief operating officer from Keys, said today: "Setting this issue into context, there are only three children in the home and their behaviour is similar to other teenagers.

"This facility is home for children who are in care through no fault of their own and they deserve the support of a kind and caring community.

"These children have an important role to play in our society and it is essential they get the best start possible.

"We are always happy to respond to concerns and help reassure neighbours we take their worries seriously.

"Senior management were keen to attend the recent meeting to understand the feelings of local people and we hope we can work with them in a constructive way."

She said there have been good outcomes for some children at Mill House.

She said a boy arrested in connection with the burglary of Mr Challis's house had since been moved.

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