A COUPLE who fell victim to a council's benefit backlog were today assured they would not be evicted from their home, despite warning letters.

Gordon and Sharon Maxwell had been told action would be taken against them unless they settled their rent arrears with landlord Twin Valley Homes.

Mr Maxwell, 70, of Sumner Street, Blackburn, who suffers from arthritis and asthma, sent this message to benefits bosses: "Sort it out. You're making me ill."

Twin Valley Homes today pledged not to evict the couple after being contacted by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

A backlog in the processing of housing benefit has built up since private firm Capita took over many of Blackburn with Darwen's administrative services last summer as part of a 15-year deal.

In January, the Evening Telegraph revealed how people were in fear of eviction after landlords demanded rent which should have been paid by housing benefit. At the time, Twin Valley said it would not take action against tenants unable to pay because their benefits had not been renewed on time.

Mr Maxwell said: "We applied for our benefits to be renewed at the beginning of January. I get benefits because I am a pensioner and cannot work because of all the things wrong with me.

"I got one letter at the start of February, saying we owed £69. That was the first we knew about the benefits being stopped.

"We have now filled in the forms three times but every time they get lost. The council staff are sympathetic but that isn't much good when we are being threatened with eviction.

"I am ill a lot of the time. The stress of this doesn't help me. It's not that they don't know about our benefit problems."

The backlog of benefits has been caused by the transfer of the handling to Capita.

Under current laws, all new or altered claims have to be authorised by the local authority, even if the handling of them is sub-contracted out to a private firm.

Around 25,000 cases of housing benefit are currently on the council's books, with 3,500 new or altered claims each month. All claims must be renewed every year.

Terry Boynes, in charge of Capita's Blackburn operation, said: "We have made a point of dealing with the long-standing cases as quickly as possible. Often there are complications which delay an application.

"This has had a knock-on effect for our overall figures."

Phil Richards, chief executive of Twin Valley Homes, said: "We are aware the council has a backlog for housing benefit and are liaising with them at a senior level to ensure it does not disadvantage our tenants.

"No action will be taken against Mr and Mrs Maxwell as they have confirmed they are awaiting a response to their housing benefit claim."