The government is facing calls to end age restrictions on disability benefits from a coalition of charities.

Currently, the Disability Living Allowance [DLA] is worth up to £41 per week and can be claimed up to the age of 65. 

Although those that start claiming the benefit before 65 can continue receiving it afterwards, it is not available to those who become ill or disabled after reaching the age of 65.

Instead, an attendance allowance is available, which does not include help with mobility or low-level care needs.

Organisations including Arthritis Care and Carers UK on Thursday launched the "Mobilise" campaign, describing the age barrier as "one of the most serious injustices in the current system".

Without the disability living allowance, older people cannot receive other benefits, such as car tax exemption and access to the Motability scheme, they argued.

"The denial of these entitlements under an arbitrary age barrier is having a devastating effect on some of the most vulnerable people in our society," said Help the Aged director of policy Paul Cann.

"The government has stated publicly that it wants to enable people to live independent, healthy, active lives as they get older.

"It has also made clear its commitment to ending age discrimination.

"By denying access to DLA on the basis of age alone, the government flies in the face of its own principles.

"Age discrimination in disability benefit must end."

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions defended the situation.

"It's normal for social security schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives, and the interaction between old age and disability gets harder to define clearly as the ageing process continues," he said.

"The aim of Disability Living Allowance is to provide additional help with the extra costs of people who have the very considerable disadvantage of being severely disabled early, or relatively early, in life.

"As a result, they face limited opportunities to work, earn and save compared with their non-disabled peers.

"Attendance allowance provides similar help for people who have had those opportunities and for whom the onset of disability comes with old age."