PARENTS who swapped baby milk tokens for cigarettes have prompted a clamp down which could save the National Health Service millions of pounds.

The scam was costing the local Health Trust £100,000 a year and now CommuniCare, which serves Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, has revealed its pioneering anti-fraud campaign to show how much money can be saved.

And ComminiCare plans to pass details to other health chiefs. The initiative involves a closer supervision of the scheme.

The benefit entitles parents on income support to free issue powdered milk, with reduction vouchers for those on family credit. It was introduced to clamp down on a trend among unscrupulous East Lancashire shop keepers who accepted milk tokens for other products including cigarettes and then cashed in on their higher value. A spokesman for CommuniCare said abuse of the welfare system had long been recognised.

He added: "CommuniCare NHS Trust has introduced a new system to ensure that the free issue baby milk is only given to those who are entitled to it.

"This new administrative control has resulted in huge savings already in the first few months of its implementation. The initiative was introduced to clamp down on a wide number of abuses to the system by parents who collected tokens from the post office.

In some cases multiple claims were made for milk which was never bought.

Qualifying families were and still are entitled to powdered milk - £5 per week's supply - until a child is one year old - and bottled milk - £2 per week's supply - until a youngster is aged four or five.

The spokesman added: "The costs of the baby milk are met by the NHS centrally and CommuniCare is determined to ensure that no parent is denied free or low cost baby milk if they are entitled to it.

"Last Autumn CommuniCare introduced a system which linked infants' health visitor records to baby milk records.

"Mothers are free to attend any of the Trust's baby clinics across Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley area to see health staff and get milk.

"The records of visits are now co-ordinated, eliminating the opportunity for multiple claims for free issues."

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