A CRACKDOWN on benefit fraudsters is continuing in a Teesside town where investigators have established a reputation as being among the best in the country.

Brendan Brown, head of revenues and benefits with the Middlesbrough Council partnership HBS Service Middlesbrough, said: "The underlying message we want to give is that if you cheat the system in Middlesbrough, you will be caught.''

A data matching exercise with the National Audit Office, other benefit paying agencies and comparisons with rent files and payroll data has uncovered £130,000 of overpayments and led to 11 prosecutions.

A separate exercise with the Department for Works and Pensions, targeting people who are not declaring they are living with a partner, has so far detected £40,000 of fraud and has led to court action against more than 20 claimants.

Six more prosecutions are pending, it was revealed last night.

Mr Brown said: "No one should be under any illusion that stealing from public funds is anything other than socially unacceptable. The work of the Serve Middlesbrough fraud team will continue to underline this message.

"The pressure is there for fraud in Middlesbrough to be targeted. We are also keen to be seen as one of the best performing investigation units in the region. We do take more prosecutions than any of our neighbours.

"Middlesbrough is keen to continue the high take-up of benefits and to encourage everyone in the town who is entitled to help, to claim.

"However, we would like individuals who are thinking of doing this to think twice."

The continuing crackdown means that Middlesbrough's fraud investigators - the biggest squad in the North-East - are pounding the streets carrying out surveillance work.

Mr Brown said: "Some aspects of it are carrying out surveillance. It does mean we need to be on the streets, getting out and carrying out investigations, interviewing people. We need to establish enough evidence that people are living together."

He added: "There is no such thing as victimless crime, and people who cheat the benefit system are undermining a system which many people rely on.

"The success of these exercises is down to the fraud team making full use of the new powers available to them through new legislation and new technology.''