CHEATS will make a spectacle of themselves if they falsely claim for help to pay for sight tests or glasses, Bury health chiefs have warned.

A major clampdown is underway in the borough on people who wrongly claim for help with the cost of optician fees.

It is estimated that fraudulent claims cost the local health authority £1 million a year.

Vigorous checks are being made on forms where patients claim they are entitled to cash help but fail to provide proof at the opticians.

Wrongful claimants have already been contacted by Bury and Rochdale Health Authority which is demanding the money back to plough back into local health services. People who refuse to pay could face penalty charges and prosecution.

The penalty charge is five times the cost they have claimed up to a maximum of £100. In addition, the individual will be required to pay back the original health cost. If prosecuted, they face a fine of up of £2,500.

Mr Stephen Mills, the health authority's fraud liaison officer, said: "The NHS as a whole is cracking down on fraud as it starves the system of much needed resources. Fraud within optical services is one of the main areas in which people wrongly claim they are exempt from NHS charges. I would advise people who are unsure whether they are eligible to contact their optician or the DSS to pick up relevant leaflets. Rightful claimants should always take their proof with them. Some customers are eligible to claim a free NHS sight test, while others may also claim an optical voucher towards the cost of spectacles.

Further information is available in the following leaflets HC18 (Op) and HC81 (Pen) which are available at opticians and DSS offices. Alternatively patients can contact the health authority on 0161 762 3066.