Elderly and disabled adults in Waltham Forest could end up ‘without food on their table’ next month a charity has warned after claims the council is pulling funding from a service seen as a ‘lifeline’ to its users.

For the last nine years Community Transport Waltham Forest based in Argall Avenue, Leyton, has been running a ‘door to store’ service, collecting elderly and disabled people and taking them shopping.

Service users pay a minimal fee and are helped on and off of the bus with help to take their bags inside.

The service started in 2006 and has received funding from the local authority since its inception.

However, on February 26 the service was told the council is now pulling all funding – amounting to £27,000.

Helen Tredoux from the charity said she is in ‘utter disbelief’ as she began questioning the council in October 2014.

“These are not people who can hop on and off of a bus, these are some really vulnerable adults who use this service as a lifeline,” she said.

“What can we do with just a few weeks’ notice? I started asking them months ago and they just said they had it under review.

“The reality is there are now people in this borough who may not have a meal on the table in April because they cannot even get to the shop, they cannot carry bags, they don’t have family members to help them.

“This is a cheap service. They will spend double this amount in a year if any of the service users end up in a care home as a result.

“It is great the council has decided to spend £1m on parks, it really is, but there are people who cannot even get out of the house. How do they enjoy that funding?

“The old and the disabled are being overlooked with these cuts.”

Kathy Ronny, 64, of Can Hall Road suffers from a range of ailments including a type of arthritis of the spine known as ankylosing spondylitis and hip problems.

As a result she cannot carry bags or travel on the bus.

“I don’t know what we will do without it.

“Some of the people on the bus are in their 90s and they have no family – people won’t eat.

“We depend on this service – my husband has arthritis in his hands and it’s only the two of us –we don’t have a computer to order anything.

“They say they look out for the elderly people but they are taking away people’s independence.”

The council has been asked to comment.