BENEFITS claimants in Islwyn will suffer if the introduction of Universal Credit in the area goes ahead as planned, the constituency's MP has claimed.

The new benefits system, which has already been introduced in Newport, Torfaen and other areas of Gwent, is due to be rolled out across Caerphilly county borough on Wednesday, September 5.

But MP for Islwyn, which encompasses part of Caerphilly, Chris Evans has demanded the introduction is halted following a series of reports about problems with the system.

Universal Credit is intended to simplify the benefits system by replacing a series of schemes including Child Tax Credit and Jobseeker's Allowance with a single payment.

But its introduction has been dogged with problems, with a report by Citizens Advice published earlier this month finding one in six claimants had been forced to wait longer than the mandatory five-week period before receiving their first payment.

The report also showed those who were not paid in time were 23 per cent more likely to get into debt as a result of being forced to take out loans or credit to cover the shortfall.

Labour MP Mr Evans said: "The government said that Universal Credit would simplify social security but the reality has been very different. Too many people have found the process difficult and over-complicated.

"I am deeply concerned that the complexity of applications and late payments will disproportionately hurt the most vulnerable, putting them in debt and insecurity.

"This includes people with disabilities who rely on carers who are already working very hard.

"I think the roll out of Universal Credit should be halted.

"If problems are not addressed by September, I am very worried that my constituents will be paying the price for Universal Credit’s many failings."

The Citizens Advice report also found 48 per cent of Universal Credit claimants found it difficult to produce evidence of health conditions affecting their eligibility, and 40 per cent struggled to provide proof of their housing situation.

The organisation has said the UK Government, which controls Universal Credit, should introduce an automatic payment for those who don’t get paid on time, provide more support with completing claims and make it easier to provide supporting evidence online.