Residents fighting eviction from their care home are to appeal against a High Court decision allowing East Sussex County Council to move them.

They are taking their case to the Appeal Court in another round of legal efforts to save the Moreton Centre in Boscobel Road, St Leonards.

A campaign to overturn the council's decision to close the centre ended in bitter defeat at the High Court in London last week.

Judge Mr Justice Maurice Kay found in favour of the council following a two-day judicial review.

It means the council will now continue its plans to turn the home into a 30-place rehabilitation centre to ease hospital bed-blocking.

It said the day care centre would remain open until an alternative site was found. But families of residents say the battle is not over.

Norma Dudley, whose 86-year-old mother Clara has been a resident for seven years, has instructed her lawyers to seek an appeal against the High Court ruling.

A letter was yesterday sent to the council from the Relatives Action Group calling for a public meeting on the issue.

However, Mrs Dudley, from Croydon, fears long-stay residents will be moved out before it reaches court again.

She said: "The process takes time and my fear is that without an injunction, the council will go ahead and move out the residents before any appeal.

"I am desperately worried about my mother and have written to the director of social services asking them to wait until she has been assessed."

The council has said every effort would be made to ensure the move was done smoothly and has guaranteed the opening of the day care centre.