A disappointing financial year has triggered a round of redundancies at Fair Havens and Little Haven hospices, it has emerged.

Job cuts at the hospices in Thundersley and Southend have been announced by umbrella organisation South East Essex Christian Hospice.

Although the number has not been specified, it is thought five non-care posts would be lost between the two hospices.

South East Essex Christian Hospice said the job losses were the result of cutbacks it had to make.

But it stressed care services to terminally ill patients would not be lost.

Chairman Andy Smith said the decision had not been an easy one to make.

He said: "The organisation is not in financial crisis. However we do need to make prudent cuts now to ensure the necessary finance is available to maintain care services."

The surprise announcements left many volunteers enraged because they believed the redundancies were aimed at cutting costs.

One volunteer in his 60s, who asked not to be named, accused the hospices' managers of frittering money away while at the same time making people redundant.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.