WIRRAL Council’s controversial plan to shut five care and respite homes has been dealt a blow after solicitors obtained an injunction against it.

Lawyers acting for a man who uses one of the respite homes said they had obtained an injunction against the closure of Fernleigh until a hearing on March 16.

By Friday evening, Wirral Council said they had not received word of the injunction, but said they were aware of the bid to have a judicial review of the closure plans.

The plans are for the closure of care and respite centres Mapleholme, Pensall, Poulton, Meadowcroft and Fernleigh by March 31.

Steve Hornby, from Eastham, had engaged solicitors Irwin Mitchell, in Manchester, after he said the council’s plans would damage the respite care he has received since 1998 for a bipolar disorder.

Mr Hornby, 39, said: “We had a so-called consultation on the closure on January 17, although it was not actually a consultation. A director turned up to say that from March 31 the service would no longer exist.”

He said he was aware of several other service users becoming extremely upset over the plans.

A spokesman for solicitors Irwin Mitchell, David Shirt, said they had “successfully got an injunction against the care home closure before a hearing on March 16”.

Although Wirral Council said it had not received the injunction, cabinet member for social care and inclusion, Bob Moon, said: “We have just received notice of the judicial review and will contest it robustly.