THE director of a home care company in Bromsgrove has praised his workers for battling the weekend's icy conditions to provide their clients with the care they needed.

Staff at Care Force, based in Bromsgrove's High Street, managed to attend or arrange family support for all of their 602 calls between Friday and Sunday, with some carers working 14-hour shifts.

Director John Hollingsworth told the Advertiser: "Our staff really went the extra mile this weekend, with some of them physically walking miles between calls to avoid driving on the icy roads.

"With help from families, we didn't miss a single call, which is absolutely amazing.

"Some were starting work at 7am and not getting home until gone 11pm.

"I just wanted to get some recognition for them, and for the care sector in general.

"The national press is quick to criticise but carers are doing a brilliant job and they deserve some praise."

Care Force carer Deana Everett said letting down clients wasn't an option.

"The snow was a bit of a problem but these people need us so we can't let them down," she said. "Lots of them said they didn't expect anyone to turn up because of the snow."

She added: "Everyone was very appreciative, which made it all worthwhile."