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.

The figure is almost three times the Merseyside average and  more than 3,000 higher than the national job centre average of 1,935.

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.”

The DWP denied the high figure had anything to do with meeting government targets. Alan Harrison, of Merseyside Job Centre Plus, said: “Sanctions are only used as a last resort and I can confirm that in every job centre benefits are controlled by the same process."

“It is only fair that claimants play their part unless they have a good reason not to and it encourages people to take more responsibility to find work.   

“I wouldn’t deny that sanctions are placed every day but they are not there to punish, they are there to make people adhere to their jobseeker’s agreement.”