Thousands of unpaid carers are receiving benefits in Tendring

Millions of people provide unpaid care to family, friends and loved ones across the country.

Those providing care for more than 35 hours and earning less than £151 a week are eligible for a carer's allowance.

This allowance consists of a weekly payment of £81.90.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show there were 3,340 people receiving the benefit in Tendring as of last summer.

A further 1,660 people were judged to be eligible for carer's allowance by the Department for Work and Pensions but were not claiming it.

This could potentially be due to receiving other benefits which disqualify them from it or because they are receiving a top-up to other benefits instead.

Moreover, unpaid care is predominantly carried out by women – 73 per cent of recipients of carer's allowance in Tendring were female.

The Government recently revealed 34,500 people across the country had been 'overpaid' the benefit, due to breaching the earnings limit, and have been fined as a result,

 Some of these fines have reached tens of thousands of pounds.