PENSIONERS battling against spiralling council tax are taking their fight to the House of Commons. Over 400 Warminster pensioners signed a petition campaigning for fairer tax, which was handed to the government by MP Andrew Murrison this week.

Now the elderly campaigners have organised a protest at the House of Commons in an attempt to make the government sit up and listen.

The Warminster protest follows hundreds of pensioners who travelled to London at the weekend and a call by Prime Minister Tony Blair last week for councils to stop raising taxes.

Wiltshire County Council is currently setting their council tax rate, predicted to be a rise of around seven per cent.

Ron Young, 66, of Tennyson Close, Warminster said he would rather go to prison than live on the breadline caused by rising council tax.

He said: "I've read about a pensioner who got 42 days for not paying his council tax and I would be prepared to do the same.

"I get £85 per week pension and £20 goes straight away on council tax but it is not even as if we can see where our money is going.

"You look at other countries like Germany who pay far less than us but get better services.

"There are many people in the same situation as me so we are heading up to London to make our point known."

Retired carpet fitter Mr Young spent hours outside Warminster library collecting signatures for the petition and is now arranging a crisis meeting for pensioners.

He said: "It is unlikely the government will even look at our petition they have probably thrown it in the bin.

"But if we go to the House of Commons with placards and banners and then meet Andrew Murrison inside they can't ignore us any longer."

The group will meet at Warminster Assembly Hall at 10am on February 13 to finalise plans for the trip to London.

Over 100 protesters are currently expected to fill two busloads for the trip on February 25.

Town councillor and pensioner Les Rose, 68, is backing the bid to take the fight to the government's doorstep.

He said: "Council tax has risen 100 per cent in the past 10 years and 75 per cent in the last six years but pensions have not gone up at the same rate.

"There have been groups of protesters travelling to Parliament from Weston-super-Mare and Exeter and now us.

"The message may be getting through to government and county councils that many people cannot face further tax rises."

Campaigners can sign up to the London protest at the crisis meeting on February 13.

Householders in Warminster are paying the lowest town council tax in west Wiltshire.

Town councillors finally passed the annual precept at a meeting on Monday evening, with their share of the tax costing the average household £53.70 every year.

That is £30 less than residents pay in Trowbridge and £7 cheaper than nearest rival Bradford on Avon.

Taxpayers in Melksham and Westbury will pay over £10 more to their town councils than households in Warminster for 2004.