text: A fund-raising drive to help keep one of the country's oldest war veterans in his own home after a London council refused to pay for his ongoing care has reached £10,000 in just four days. Brent Council said it was no longer able to afford to pay for a live-in carer to look after Second World War veteran Robert Clark at his home in Burnt Oak, North London. This is despite the fact he had already used £50,000 of his life savings paying for his care. War veteran Robert Clark, pictured, who has had a fund-raising appeal set up in his name so he can remain in his own home with a live-in carer . A donations page set up by the forces charity Help for Heroes has already raised £10,000 to help Mr Clark remain in his own home . The council told Mr Clark he would have to be moved into a local care home with his son Mike describing the move as like asking his father to go back into a 'prisoner of war camp'. The pensioner's plight prompted armed forces charity Help for Heroes to launch a fund-raising campaign to allow Mr Clark to stay in his home, which he has lived in for more than 50 years and pay towards the cost of a carer. And in just four days the total amount of donations has reached £10,000, despite setting an initial target of £5,000 just four days ago. The amount will pay for around four to five months care for Mr Clark in his own home. David Fraser from the charity confirmed that they are working with Mr Clark to discuss what to do with the cash and added they have set a new fund-raising target of £15,000. He told MailOnline: 'I think when you look at what he has done and what he has been through, he deserves an awful lot of respect. 'He deserves to be able to stay in his own home.' Writing home: Veteran Robert Clark, pictured in 1940, when he was serving with Durham Light Infantry . Mr Clark is one of Britain's oldest surviving prisoners of war - and one of the few British soldiers to survive Hitler's 1,000-mile death march. He was a gunner in the Durham Light Infantry when he was captured by the Nazis in the North African city of Tobruk in June 1942. He spent the rest of the war in prison camps in Poland, before being forced to join the 'death match' in 1945. Now a great-great grandfather, he is one of Britain's oldest surviving PoWs and is registered blind, deaf in one ear, is dependent on a wheelchair and has suffered from severe anxiety. For the past two years he has used his savings to pay towards the £960-a-week cost of a live-in carer, while Brent Council contributed £350 per week. But as his money runs out, the council is refusing to increase its funding for Mr Clark. An online petition has also been set up calling for the council to increase its funding, which has also gained almost 170,000 signatures. Robert Clark (front row, second left) pictured on June 21, 1943 at prisoner of war camp Campo PG70 in Italy . His son Mike, whose home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire is not suitable for his father, has previously spoken of how he situation is causing the pensioner anxiety and making him unable to sleep. He explained: 'He’s as good as told me that if he has to move, he’ll just give up on life. Whenever he’s been in hospital, pulls the blankets over his head and stops talking. ‘He hates being anywhere which isn't familiar, going into a care home will be like going back into a prisoner of war camp.’ However, Brent Council have stated they will not increase their funding for a live-in carer but say there is absolutely no question he will be evicted. They also added he won't need to sell his house to pay for his care and say they want to find a solution which meets his needs and provides value for money for the taxpayer. To donate to Mr Clark's fundraising page, click here.
target: Brent Council told veteran Robert Clark they were unable to afford his care .
  Added he would have to move from his own home and into a care home .
  Mr Clark had already used most of his life savings paying for a live-in carer .
  An appeal has raised £10,000 in four days to help him stay in his own home .