HOUSING benefit fraudsters woke up to dawn raids in Blackpool this week.

After weeks of intensive surveillance, a 30-strong team of Blackpool police, council and Benefit Agency officers swooped on four blocks of DSS flats in North Shore at dawn on Tuesday (May 25).

With £42m a year being paid out in housing benefit in the resort, of which £33.4m goes direct to landlords, the problem of benefit abuse by both tenants and landlords is potentially huge.

The aim was not only to pick up housing benefit fraudsters, but bad landlords who put residents in danger through flouting health, safety and planning rules. Several people were taken in for questioning and more are expected to follow.

DC Frank Gardner, of the intelligence unit, said: "It was part of a multi-agency decision to perform this action.

"It was successful and the agencies will continue to liaise in the future - there may well be more arrests."

Blackpool Council finance director Julian Kearsley said the resort was leading the way in fighting fraud, criminal activity and regulation-enforcement with its joint approach.

"Criminals are often involved in a number of illegal offences, which is why it is so very important that the police, local authorities and other agencies work together and pool their knowledge to fight fraud and other crimes," he said.

"This successful operation should act as a warning to landlords in the resort that we are determined to stamp out fraud and clamp down on crime and planning and safety rules."

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