COUNTER-FRAUD officers at County Hall are working to reclaim almost £100,000 of overpaid cash.

Money was given in error to elderly people who had died and to some people with personal budgets, such as those in care, when they were not entitled to it.

So far officers have recouped almost £4,000 in overpayments to pensioners who have died, with a further £14,745 currently being recovered.

They have also claimed back £47,785 in personal budget overpayments, with another £30,155 in the pipeline.

Council staff will now look to see whether the money was paid by mistake, or if it was a deliberate attempt to defraud the authority.

A spokesman said: “This is something we all do with the uptmost sensitivity with the purpose of preventing and detecting fraud and error."