The elderly residents of a troubled care home have been given seven days to find alternative accommodation after the fire service ordered its closure on safety grounds.

The owner said he will try to take legal action to appeal the decision early next week so the Ossians home in North Connel, Argyll, can stay open. But Argyll and Bute Council's social work department, responsible for 18 of the 25 people currently living there, said yesterday that it could not wait for any appeal.

A council spokeswoman said: "The council and the NHS are working together to provide a viable solution to what is a distressing situation. Although the closure of the home is regrettable, our first concern has to be for the residents."

The shortage of spaces means the department will have to seek accommodation across the whole of the council area, not just around Oban.

Strathclyde Fire Service confirmed it had issued a prohibition notice to Ossians Care Home, and The Herald understands the action has followed a litany of official reprimands. A relative of one of the residents said they had been given no warning of the closure.

"We were just told on Thursday that everybody had to be out within a week," said the relative. "It is very distressing. I certainly wouldn't blame the staff who have always tried their best. But it has been obvious in the last couple of years that there has not been the same investment since the new owner took over. We don't know anything about him, apart from the fact he is a Glasgow businessman."

The owner is Angus Wright, who formerly ran a care home in Glasgow's Clevedon Drive. He confirmed yesterday he was breaking his family holiday abroad to return to Argyll to sort things out.

"If we were given a reasonable degree of latitude by the fire department the home would not have to close and everybody could stay where they are," he said.

"But we feel the local fire commander is acting very unreasonably and we intend to challenge the prohibition notice at the earliest opportunity in the sheriff court.

"Every year we have a fire inspection and get a list of things to do which I obviously take very seriously.

"As far as I am concerned, we did everything we were asked to."

Mr Wright said he took his responsibilities very seriously and had invested £200,000 since he bought the home more than two years ago. He was committed to Ossians and was planning an extension.

However, it is not the first time the home has come to the attention of the authorities since he took over. A male employee is currently suspended pending investigations into allegations of misconduct.

A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: "A 38-year-old man is being reported to the procurator-fiscal in relation to circumstances surrounding the level of care provided by him at the home."

Ossians was most recently inspected by the Care Commission on January 23. Among its findings were: evidence of care staff undertaking nursing tasks; residents' care plans being incomplete; staff being employed without disclosure and low staff morale.