A filthy care home has been shut down by inspectors after a pensioner living there it described it as a "prison".

Winterton House, in Epping New Road, Buckhurst Hill, was forced to close this week by healthcare watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The home was registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to nine older people, some of whom may be living with dementia.

The CQC said despite several warnings over its performance, Winterton House had not improved sufficiently since damning reports issued by inspectors in May and November last year, as well as March 2017.

The latest report into the centre found although residents generally felt safe, they were unlawfully restricted by staff from leaving the premises.

One told inspectors: "It is quite secure here. More like a prison as you can't go out without permission."

Staff were also found to be following “spiritual” care plans for residents, including those who did not adhere to a particular faith.

One person’s care plan stated they were “not a spiritual person” and “is a non-believer”, but staff were told to “encourage [the resident] to continue praying and talking to god.”

The resident in question told CQC inspectors they: "wished staff respected me and my wishes".

The home had been set up in a large, detached house with a large garden, but the report found residents were not able to benefit from this.

Inspectors said the garden was mainly used as a: “storage area for rubbish and broken equipment”, while the house itself was filled with clutter, papers and other items.

The home also was dirty, was storing one resident’s clothing in another person’s room without permission, had not ensured medicines were managed safely and did not have a trained first aider on site.

The CQC has now served Winterton House with a Notice of Decision to cancel its registration, effectively shutting the service down.

Alison Murray, CQC’s Head of Inspection Adult Social Care (London), said: “It is always disappointing when we have to take action to close a care home, but on this occasion we had to take action as the standard of care was woefully inadequate."

“There is no excuse for poor care and CQC will always act if it finds inadequate care.

“Initially we will always try to help to improve standards. However, if the quality of care does not improve we will use our enforcement powers as we have done at Winterton House.”