North East Dartmoor Care (NEDCare), based in Moretonhampstead, said carers were leaving their jobs because of rising fuel costs and higher wages in other sectors.

Trustee Jenny Bates said the situation was "tragic".

She said:

"We are a very rural area so it is very hard to find people who are able to drive, and have the capacity to travel distances.

"And now we have hit a situation where our registered manager who has been with us for five years is actually leaving, to move to a different job.

"We haven't been able to replace him despite the fact we have been in contact with lots of other recruitment agencies.

"It's tragic really. Although we do pay above the national average, we do pay for travelling time, we've increased the mileage rate, because of the cost of living and fuel crisis, finding carers has always been problematic."

About half the clients funded themselves, and the other half were paid by Devon County Council.

The council said: "We are now working closely with the people that NEDCare supports at home to review their care needs and arrange suitable, alternative support that meets their requirements."