New applicants who wish to claim jobseekers allowance or income support are being left with severe debt, as a new phone system holds up payments.

To apply for benefits, claimants are given a telephone number to ring, but the service can be quite complicated for some, as they are faced with a long wait to get through and many get confused with the long list of call options presented. This could cause many vulnerable claimants who need debt support to go without money for which they are entitled, and leave them to cope without food or shelter.

The homeless, the disabled and claimants who suffer with mental health should be given a face to face service along with those who do not possess a landline, as these are the ones who are likely to suffer the most.

As the paperwork takes a while to swing into operation, claiming for benefits is a lengthy process in itself without the added difficulty of being unable to get through to the correct department, to make an initial claim. Many claimants are left without a single penny for weeks, which is detrimental to their health as well as their accruing debt. For someone on the verge of bankruptcy already the system may just be 'too little too late'.

Claiming benefits is a humiliating process on its own, without the inconvenience of having to wait on the end of a phone line, which is jammed with callers all in the same situation, and falling into debt with each ring tone.