RESIDENTS and campaigners have called for the bedroom tax to be ‘scrapped’ after 3,624 East Lancashire homes were revealed to have been hit.

According to the National Federation of Housing almost half of cases were in Blackburn, with 1,451 in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

It was introduced in April to cut housing benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have more bedrooms than needed.

Wendy Spokes, has to find £45 every fortnight after being classed as having two spare bedrooms under the criteria and wants the tax scrapped.

Mrs Spoke, 53, and husband Alan from Gloucester Road, Whitebirk, is one of 1,562 households in Blackburn having to find an average of £752.34 each year. She said: “I’m really struggling and have had to cut back on other essentials such as heating, clothes and food.”

A total of 486 properties in Hyndburn and 127 in the Ribble Valley will lose an average of £702.75 by next April while 634 homes in Burnley, 463 in Pendle and 352 in Rossendale have lost £713.86.

Rossendale Citizens' Advice Bureau manager Kester Dean said smaller properties for people to move into were in short supply and she also called for the tax to be scrapped.