FOUR hundred people from Upton-upon-Severn have used the services of the Citizens Advice Bureau in Upton or Malvern in the past year.

The Upton service, brought to the town 10 years ago, has been open for 126 hours over 50 weeks, but many people with an ongoing problem called or visited the Malvern office after making the initial contact at Upton.

Benefits claims accounted for more than 40 per cent of the enquiries, with consumer problems accounting for another 14 per cent and others divided between legal, housing, employment, relationship, tax and utilities.

"We have made a number of home visits to people who truly couldn't get to the bureau," said manager Liz Pusey, reporting to Upton's annual town meeting.

Volunteers

"We depend totally on volunteers and we would very much like to have some from Upton.

"We don't have any advisers at the moment from the Upton area, apart from one who has moved into town and local knowledge is very useful.

"The job is challenging, stimulating, interesting, rewarding - and unpaid.