The cost of hot meals delivered by Bradford’s Meals on Wheels is set to soar by 88 per cent.

Bradford Council will stop subsidising the service for vulnerable, elderly people from the end of this month.

It will save the local authority £250,000 and is part of a package of £3.4 million cuts to adult services.

A total of 600 people pay £3 per hot meal which are delivered to their home every weekday lunchtime as part of a contract operated by private company Apetito.

The removal of the subsidy means the price will rise to £5.64 per meal.

Apetito said it could not comment on whether it would now review its prices.

But groups which represent the elderly spoke of their concerns about the impact of the axing of the subsidy.

Keith Nathan, chief executive of Age Concern Bradford, said: “If we are looking at such a swingeing increase, now that older people are on even tighter budgets, I would expect more malnutrition.

“I don’t blame the Council, I blame the Government. I think they have tried to protect the most vulnerable but because of the scale of the cuts that’s only relatively possible.”

Jean Walker, chairman of Bradford and District Senior Power, said she also had concerns about the effect on people’s health.

“It’s a lifeline for some older people who are so vulnerable. For some it is a preventative medicine and if they are not looked after and get the right diet it’s going to put more in hospitals and increase the burden on the NHS.

“I know there is a debt that has to be paid but it’s hitting people at the end of their lives and creating extra hardship.”