ONE of Britain's most notorious killers - 'Black Panther' Donald Neilson - is being moved to a special prison hospital unit because he is only weeks from death.

Neilson, 72, is serving four life sentences for the murder of Shropshire heiress Lesley Whittle and three sub-postmasters, Donald Skepper, Sidney Grayland and Derek Astin from Baxenden.

Neilson became Britain's most wanted man before he was finally brought to justice in 1976 at Oxford Crown Court.

It has now been revealed that he has the latter stages of motor neurone disease.

He cannot use his arms and legs and has to be fed by spoon.

He will now be moved within two weeks to the elderly lifer unit at Norwich Prison, which cares for seriously ill inmates.

Others there include Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs, 79.

Victim Derek Astin was the popular sub-postmaster of Baxenden Post Office on Manchester Road, living with his wife Marion, then 41, daughter Susan and son Stephen, 10, when he was killed on 6 September 1974, Susan woke at 4am.

Neilson, masked and dressed in black, had broken into the family home and Mr Astin was killed as he tried to protect his wife and children.

The family still live in Baxenden.

Last year High Court judge, Mr Justice Teare, told Neilson that he would never be freed unless "on account of great age or infirmity".

Mr Justice Teare said at the time: "It is plain that Neilson was ruthlessly prepared to shoot to kill if he considered such action necessary.

"I have concluded that the seriousness of the four murders is such that the appropriate minimum term is a whole life order."