A PENSIONER, who has been living in her car on a supermarket car park in Evesham, has refused help from social services.

Audrey Burslem, aged 71, believes her house in Harvington was wrongly confiscated to repay costs incurred in a civil court case, which was launched over a boundary dispute in 2001.

Now she says she has been locked out of the house on Alcester Road, which she claims has been put on the market illegally.

Since early on Saturday morning until Tuesday night, she was living in her car outside Tesco's Evesham superstore. Her whereabouts are now unknown.

Mrs Burslem, whose husband Frank died in 1997, said she was first forced into homelessness when her house was taken into possession last month. "I have had five weeks of it and I am sick of it. It is cold and uncomfortable and difficult to keep clean."

Tesco security manager Anthony Waugh said although there was no law against what she was doing police had been informed of her plight. "An officer came down to see her on Saturday and said he would look into the matter."

PC Paul Adams of Evesham police station confirmed that an officer had spoken to Mrs Burslem. "We did speak to her and we have notified the relevant authorities."

Andrea Cooke, Evesham social services manager, said Mrs Burslem had refused help. "We believe she has family in Ireland and a cousin in Bath and she does not want any assistance from us or the housing authorities."

MP Peter Luff said he had contacted the head of the county's social services department, Jenny Bashford, to see if anything can be done for Mrs Burslem. He said: "Mrs Burslem is a vulnerable woman, but she is also very proud and independent."

The two-bedroom bungalow, that Mrs Burslem claims is still rightly hers, is being offered for sale at £175,000.