A CARE home must be sold because it is “no longer fit for purpose”, Hampshire County Council was told.

Cllr Ken Thornber, who leads the Tory-run authority, said he visited Linden House in Lymington with executive member for adult social care, Cllr Felicity Hindson.

Cllr Thornber said the rooms were so small that if lifting gear was needed to help frail residents out of bed, items like televisions and cupboards had to be moved out.

He added that the property’s corridors were too narrow. As a result, bringing it up to standard would be too costly.

He said: “What we saw was a home that was no longer fit for purpose by our guidelines.”

He added that even if the site was upgraded, the 20 or so residents living there would have to move out because it would be such a large job. The council would use the money raised from selling Linden House to a private operator to invest in adult social care elsewhere in the Lymington area, he said.