Benefit claimants are being urged to buy local newspapers in order to prove their identity.

The Department for Work and Pensions has asked Universal Credit claimants in some cases to send in photographs of themselves in front of their homes holding local papers in order to continue receiving benefits.

The policy was confirmed by Universal Credit director general Neil Couling after it appeared in a letter to a claimant, published on Twitter by the Public Interest Law Centre.

Mr Couling, pictured, said on the social media site that the policy was part of a process to “go back and check” that claimants who did not undergo the face-to-face verification checks due to the Jobcentres temporarily closing because of the pandemic had not abused the system.

In the letter, the photo is one of five different documents the claimant is told to provide in order to keep their claim open.

The requirement states: “A photo of you holding a local newspaper for the area you live (not a national tabloid newspaper). This should be dated the same day you upload the photo.”

According to The Independent, the claimant in question is a woman who has agoraphobia and does not buy local newspapers.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said in response: “At the start of the pandemic we suspended face-to-face verification of new claims as part of our Trust and Protect scheme to ensure all legitimate claimants got paid.

“We always said we would go back and verify claims, in order to protect the public purse, as some people sadly chose to abuse the temporary arrangements.

“We are now checking cases and have implemented this approach temporarily in a small number of cases where a claimant has been unable to interact with us remotely, ahead of the return of in-person verification at Jobcentres.”