Former Government minister Mo Mowlam has backed the Salisbury Journal for its stance on the care homes crisis in Wiltshire.

The paper has been highlighting the problems facing care home owners and has been drawing close attention to the number of homes that are closing across the region.

The former Northern Ireland secretary spoke out at a book signing in Salisbury.

She told the paper that the crisis facing nursing homes for the elderly was one that "had to be tackled".

She said: "I think it is a serious problem and the Government must act. It is just not good enough.

"It affects the well-being of the elderly, it causes bed-blocking in our hospitals and causes difficulties for so many people."

She made her comments at a city bookshop where she was signing copies of her autobiography Momentum.

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