PROTESTS have been held across the North-East as part of a national day of action to oppose sanctions on benefits.

The day was organised by the union Unite who say more than two million people have had their welfare payments cut or stopped without warning, leading to increased poverty, and even death.

Under the sanctions system, claimants can have their benefits cut or stopped for missing appointments or refusing work.

Members of the union’s community section, made up of people who are currently out of work, held protests outside Job Centres in Darlington, Redcar, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool calling for an end to the system, and to offer practical advice for those who have been sanctioned.

Joanne Land, a Unite member protesting in Darlington, said: “Every person we have spoken to today has been sanctioned, and people have been sanctioned for all sorts of strange reasons.

“One was on a life support machine, another was sanctioned because they had a partner who didn’t live with them.

“People are dying because of these sanctions. What people need to understand is that fraud only accounts for 0.7 per cent of the welfare budget.

“Everybody should have enough money to live with dignity.”

Jessie Joe Jacobs, community activist and founder of A Way OUT charity, was one of the 60 people who took part in the Middlesbrough demonstration.

She said: “Up until last year I was leading an organisation called A Way OUT that worked with some of the North East's most vulnerable people.

“I saw the devastating impact that welfare reforms were having on the people we were working with. We saw increases in poverty, depression, destitution and prostitution.

“We were told of families going without food, elderly people having to choose between heating or eating, a woman using a neighbours bath to wash as she had no gas for hot water and people turning to begging just to get by.

“We have always had poverty in Teesside but this was something else.

"Demonstrations like today are important in bringing about this change. The voices of those that welfare reform is hurting, need to be heard. That is why I came here today to take part and I hope this is only the beginning”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “Every day Jobcentre Plus advisers work hard to help claimants into work – unemployment is falling and a record number of people are in work.

“Sanctions are only used as a last resort for the tiny minority who fail to take up the support which is on offer.

“There are no targets for sanctions – in fact the number of sanctions has gone down over the past year.”