CAMPAIGNERS descended on Carlisle to highlight what they say is an injustice in the way the pension age has been increased since 1995.

Women from four different Women Against State Pension Injustice (WASPI) groups were in the city centre on Saturday to drum up interest in their cause and to encourage people to set up a group in Carlisle.

The WASPI campaign centres on an objection to the way the 1995 and 2011 pension increases were introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Pensions Act 1995 meant that a woman born after April 5, 1955 wouldn’t be able to pick up her pension until the age of 65.

Prior to the act they would have been able to retire at 60.

WASPI claim the culmination of that act along with the 2011 version mean that a woman born in December 1953 would not retire until the age of 66.

In contrast, a woman born in January of the same year could retire at the age of 62: a difference of five different retirement years depending on your month of birth.

“There are nearly 6,000 women affected by this in Carlisle,” explained Rosie Dickson from the WASPI Scotland group.

“They have lost £48,000 each, a complete asset drain with little or no notice.

“We would love to see recompense for all those ladies who have who have had their pension age delayed further and to see more transitional arrangements.”

The issue is currently being reviewed by the High Court, after campaigners said the rises “unlawfully discriminated” against women born in the 1950s.

Jane Hopwood, 65, of Lancaster and South Lakes WASPI group, said: “There isn’t a group in Carlisle, but there are 5,600 WASPI aged women in Carlisle who don’t seem to be represented. It is 5,600 women with grandchildren, children - everybody is affected by this.

“Our campaign is to make people aware of the way the pension age was implemented and approved without consultation.

“There are still people who are not aware of when they will get their pension.”

The campaigners say some women have still not received letters informing them of the change to their pension age.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “The government decided more than 20 years ago that it was going to make the state pension age the same for men and women as a long-overdue move towards gender equality, and this has been clearly communicated.

“People are living longer so we need to raise the age at which all of us can draw a State Pension so it is sustainable now and for future generations.”

Anyone interested in starting a group should contact waspigroupnetwork@gmail.com.