THE owner of the Darrener Newspaper was branded a "corrupt individual" by his former editor, as staff won claims of more than £19,000 at an employment tribunal.

Five members of staff took action against Ted Ward, who also owned Darwen Football Club, after not being paid for 12 weeks from June to August last year.

The weekly newspaper has not been published since mid-July after it was banned from operating from the grounds of Darwen FC as part of a legal action by the club’s former owner Kevin Henry, who successfully brought a legal injunction claiming he had not been fully paid for his share.

At the tribunal in Manchester today, Judge Peter Russell awarded former editor Peter Holland £6,837.54, chief reporter Miranda Taylor £4,750, graphic designer Martyn Halliwell £3,266, reporter Simone Yates £2,100 and layout assistant Lisa Geogarty £2,484.50.

Former BBC reporter Mr Holland, who was first employed as a freelance in September 2007, then taken on on a contract basis from April 2008, said during the tribunal: "When I first started it was a chaotic, financially sinister couple of months.

"I was paid by all kinds of means, cash was coming out of brown paper envelopes.

"After that I provided all my national insurance and tax details, but I ended up simply not being paid.

He added that Ted Ward was a “corrupt individual”.

Doubts were also raised over the trading status of the newspaper in the tribunal.

Letters to staff dated August 27, 2008 where Mr Ward claimed he had 'no option but to put the paper into liquidation', were presented to the hearing.

However Judge Russell said that a check that morning with Companies House showed the Darrener was still listed as actively trading.

The claimants now intend to mount a legal action forcing the liquidation of The Darrener.

This would mean that the Secretary of State would pay their awarded claims to a statutory maximum of £330 per week for a limited number of weeks.

Miss Yates said: "We have been deceived for months and promised so much, but today is a victory for us.

"Some of us booked summer holidays last year that had to be cancelled because we weren't paid.

"But now hopefully we will get the money we are owed and we can book another holiday."