BENEFIT fraudsters have conned Blackburn with Darwen council out of almost £1million in the past two years, it has been revealed.

There were 717 cases, costing the authority a total of £918,349, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Bosses said they tried to recover the money lost ‘in every case’, with 65 prosecutions, 105 financial penalties given out and 122 people formally cautioned.

The council would not release specific information about cases.

It said most of the scams were spotted either by benefits staff or by cross-referencing with other public services and Government departments.