IT'S PAY up or pack up for council tenants who fall behind with rent payments, Blackpool housing bosses warned this week.

But Tory group leader Coun Peter Callow has accused the council of "talking tough and acting weak" in the run up to the general election.

Twenty Blackpool council homes were repossessed last year, and recently a Blackpool mother with young children was evicted after running up arrears of more than £1,400.

Housing chief Peter Jefferson said of the case: "The tenant made little effort to repay the weekly affordable amount agreed with her housing officer and approved by the County Court. The court order was not complied with and a warrant for repossession was executed. "Although the Council doesn't want any tenant to lose their home, our primary aim is to assure arrears are paid."

But Coun Callow revealed that the district auditor has criticised Blackpool's soaring rent arrears which have almost tripled between 1996 and 2000.

"We have been pressing for action on this financially crippling issue," he said. "But we are being slammed for wanting to hound debtors to the grave."

The council, which Coun Callow also claims has not included this issue on any council agenda, insists that every effort is made to support tenants with financial difficulties, but stresses that letting people off is NEVER an option, even after eviction when tracing agents and court orders will be used to ensure payment.

And Peter Jefferson added: "It's unfair on those who do pay if those who don't are allowed to get away without any repercussions."

But last year's financial report confirms that £118,000 was written off as irrecoverable followed by a reported figure of £231,000 written off so far in this financial year.

Coun Callow added: "This new stance is just a knee-jerk reaction and represents a complete turn around which comes at the end of the financial year with new figures due out, and in the run-up to a general election with two vulnerable parliamentary seats in the area."