BENEFIT cheats in Purbeck beware - three district councils have teamed up to beat fraudsters.

Resources and expertise has been pooled between Purbeck District Council, West Dorset and North Dorset district councils in a bid to tackle benefit fraud.

Purbeck council's revenue services manager Phil McStraw said: "The council is able to retain any overpayments it recovers and claims a subsidy on the original payment.

"Council tax payers locally pay five per cent towards the benefits that we pay out - and so in the prevention of fraud there is a direct saving there to local people."

Members of the public can report suspected fraudsters online by visiting the Purbeck council website on www.purbeck.gov.uk or contact a 24-hour answerphone on 01929 557242 - or to talk to a member of council staff on 01929 557249.

Mr McStraw said: "Purbeck council has had a good record in this area - it is already considered to be performing well. "Our efforts have been directed at prevention as well as detection and we have a series of measures aimed at stopping fraudulent claims getting into the system.

"As people become used to those preventative measures the frauds become more sophisticated - and we have to be better at doing the job of detection."

A partnership between Purbeck and West Dorset was struck up in April and now North Dorset has joined in it means the councils' anti-fraud plans are fully implemented.

Under the spotlight are both housing and council tax benefits and the councils work in conjunction with the Department of Works and Pensions undertaking joint initiatives.

Cheats who are caught could face prosecution or an official caution - or they could be ordered to pay back all the cash they have fraudulently claimed plus a 30 per cent penalty.