A RECORD number of elderly people in Redditch have requested a service to adapt their homes so far this year, according to a council report.

Redditch Council's Care and Repair Service has been running since 1989 but there has been a 34 per cent increase in demand for the service.

The news comes after the Government announced it had awarded almost £34,000 towards the service's running costs.

The level of funding, which has come from the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, will continue for the next three years.

But due to the increased demand for the service, the time taken to complete major works costing more than £1,000 has increased from 24 to 28 weeks.