Hundreds of Bridgeport seniors say they are agitated after housing officials took away their washing machines.

Fireside Apartments on the Upper East Side of Bridgeport is home to hundreds of seniors, like 74-year-old Juanita Austin. She is a disabled, insulin-dependent diabetic.

“Sometimes I could walk and then sometimes my legs start shaking and I have to stop until they stop shaking," said Austin.

When Austin recently found out that the Bridgeport Housing Authority was banning washing machines in her building, she says her world was turned upside down.

"It's taking away my independence and I'm very upset about it because I depend on my washing machine," she said.

Housing officials say, "The apartments at Fireside were not constructed with washer nor dryer hookups during construction in 1963. Consequently, resident households drain washers through kitchen sinks which causes massive backups and sewer line collapses development-wide.

"How dare you tell seniors and amputees and people on oxygen that if they don't get rid of washing machines you're going to evict them?" said City Council Woman Maria Pereira.

Pereira said she's been inundated with complaints from residents and believes the approach housing officials have taken is "heavy-handed."

Pereira said each court has only two public washers and the Fireside laundromats are only open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

"I need my washing machine. I can't go over there to that laundromat," said Austin.

Pereira is pledging to fight back, saying she won't let these residents get hung out to dry. 

"That's not how you treat seniors or people with disabilities. It's inappropriate and I'm not going to stand for it," said Pereira.

In a statement,