ELDERLY people in Marlow are cut off in their homes and unable to get out and shop for themselves, a pensioner has claimed.

Reginald Robey, 75, a retired engineer, living in sheltered accommodation in Sandygate Road, Marlow, has hit out at transport provisions which he says has imprisoned many of the elderly in their homes.

He added that the closure of affordable shops in Marlow, and poor bus links to High Wycombe, mean that many old people are unable to shop for many essential items.

He said: "The problem is that with the shopping situation in Marlow we cannot afford to buy anything. We are priced out and we have talked about this many many times that we cannot get into Wycombe to do any shopping. A lot of people are trapped there. They are just unable to get around."

Some of the residents at the sheltered accommodation, all aged between 65 and 90, cannot shop at all Mr Robey said.

He added: "They are getting pretty desperate. They just do not know which way to turn."

Mr Robey, who suffers from thrombosis, is one of the residents who finds walking any distance difficult.

He said: "We have a shopping bus that goes into Marlow twice a week and that is well used but we cannot get into Wycombe. We feel that we have been forgotten because we are off the beaten track a bit."

He added that staff at the home, run by Wycombe District Council, were "marvellous" but there was a limit to what they could do.

Alison Lewis, chairman of Wycombe Area Access For All, who lives in Victoria Road, Marlow, said that this was a very serious problem for the town and one that needed addressing quickly.

She added: "We have no affordable clothing shops and the loss of Budgens will be a blow to many."

A spokesman for Buckinghamshire County Council admitted that Mr Robey's concerns were valid and said the problem was a high priority.

He added: "Marlow is a concern to us which is why we are forming a transport strategy for the town the first of its kind in the county.

"We are taking this issue very seriously."