Nineteen Dorset county council pensioners living abroad had their pensions suspended in the past year after failing to respond to correspondence.

Ten later contacted the fund to prove their existence and had their payments re-instated.

The nine who remain suspended have a total annual value of £24,870 a year – the highest a pension of £12,440.

A report set to go before county councillors on Thursday (June 21) says that the pensioners who found their funds suspended were spread over eight countries.

“We feel fairly confident that correspondence reached the intended destination. Every endeavour was taken to avoid suspending pensions, and the team employed a variety of means to make contact. It is unlikely that we will be able to establish what has happened to these pensioners, it is possible that some may yet make contact,” said fund administrator Richard Bates.

The process of checking on overseas pension payments will be repeated every three years by the Fund.