A nursing home for the elderly could face closure after health and safety breaches were highlighted in an official report.

The Beeches Nursing Home, on Church Road, Blaenavon, received a notice of closure from the Care Standards Inspectorate Wales after serious health and safety regulations were breached.

A CSIW report, published in May but only made available to the public last week, revealed: Some residents lived in unsafe accommodation. Medicines were not being stored properly. Residents were not being moved and handled correctly. There were breaches relating to fire safety, electrical safety and gas safety systems.

The findings also revealed there was no registered care manager in place at the time of the report.

The Beeches Nursing Home was inspected in December but by May there were still outstanding concerns which had not been addressed. A spokeswoman from the CSIW said: "There are a number of grounds that form the basis of the decision to cancel the registration of The Beeches.

"These broadly identify a failure to carry out and manage a care home." Owner Dr Prana Das now has 28 days to appeal the notice, which, if he does, will go to the Care Standards Tribunal.

Dr Das said he will appeal, and a committee made up of residents' relatives will fight the closure. He said: "There is nothing wrong with The Beeches. "

He said the issues took time to address because Beeches was a grade II listed building and permission was needed for changes. Dr Das said: "As we speak there is nothing outstanding."

Stewart Greenwell, acting director of social services for Torfaen Council, said: "There have been some significant failings and we are doing everything in our power to protect the interests of the people living there."

Torfaen Council and Torfaen Local Health Board said they are monitoring the care of residents daily.

Speaking at a full National Assembly meeting last week, AM for Torfaen Lynne Neagle said: "It is rare for the CSIW to take the drastic step of cancelling the registration of a care provider, but that is what happened to one private provider in Torfaen owing to a failure to ensure decent, appropriate and acceptable standards of care."