A DEFIANT pensioner is ready to become Weymouth's first council tax 'martyr' after refusing to pay a local authority demand.

Ann Edwards, 70, has withheld £110 of tax - the last monthly instalment of her 2002/03 bill - and has been summoned to appear in front of Weymouth magistrates next month.

Together with her husband Ted, 77, Mrs Edwards, a former secretary from Chartwell in Southhill, is vowing to fight the demand, saying they have reached 'the end of the line'.

Mrs Edwards said: "It is a totally unfair tax, and we simply cannot afford to pay it. Our pensions are meant to cover the cost of living but we don't have anything left after paying the council tax.

"We thought long and hard about doing this, but feel it is the only option left."

Mrs Edwards said her summons appearance will be her first time in court. "I am a law-abiding person - if I see a sign that says keep off the grass then I keep off it," she added.

"I appreciate that services have to be paid for but people on low fixed incomes just cannot afford these rises."

The summons has come from Wey-mouth and Portland Borough Council as the collecting authority, but the bill also covers amounts due to Dorset County Council and the Police Authority.

Retired printer Mr Edwards said the couple's combined pension income this year was £6,351, with their band C house costing £1,101.

He claimed that in order to be able to have a holiday they have had to take up part time work as house sitters.

He said: "We have more than 70 years of work history between us, and haven't been able to put together much in the way of savings.

"Our pensions are meant to cover the cost of living, but after the tax and bills we have hardly anything left.

"We are the vulnerable, we are the soft belly of society. We cannot withdraw our labour, or stop working because we have given all we can give."

The Edwards are both members of the Weymouth Area Seniors Project, or WASPs, and they revealed their plight to fellow activists at a meeting.

WASP spokesman Derek Julian vowed his organisation would support the couple.

He said: "We will be protesting outside the court building on the day of the hearing, and are having a collection to cover any costs they have to pay.

"This is not just about pensioners, but all people on low pay. Pensioners on low fixed incomes just cannot afford these above-inflation rises."

Portland businessman Dave England has also pledged to cancel his council tax payments from April 1, protesting at government inefficiency.

Mr and Mrs Edwards said they were determined not to buckle.

They said: "We are sending a message to the government. We want to live what life we have left - we would like to be able to go to the theatre or to a concert."

Mrs Edwards added: "I don't know what's going to happen. I am on heart medicine - but if I was younger and fitter I would be prepared to go to prison over this."

Borough council leader Anne Thomas said: "I am sorry that Mrs Edwards has taken this stance - it looks like WASPs want a martyr.

"The current system of council tax - which was brought in by the conservatives - is being looked at carefully by the government.

"But it is what we have to work with at the moment."

Dorset County Council leader Tim Palmer has warned people about the chaos that would be caused through non-payment.

He said: "If lots of people don't pay then it would cause a lot of disruption as the workload of council officers would increase hugely and magistrates courts would not be able to cope."