A JOB centre in St Helens gave out the highest number of sanctions on Jobseeker’s Allowance in the North West, DWP figures reveal.
The Central Street centre docked benefit payments 5,127 times between October 2012, when new sanction rules came into force, and June this year.
Juliet Edgar, from Merseyside-based welfare rights group Reclaim, said: “What we have noticed is that the sanctions have gone through the roof.
“It could be staff are looking to sanction although the government denies there are targets to meet."
“Sometimes people only realise they have been docked when they go to the bank and it can be a few weeks before they get something in writing about it which can be an absolute panic.”
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