CASH-strapped housing chiefs have written off nearly £50,000 in debts, including those of dead or missing tenants.

Tenants doing a disappearing act, people going into nursing homes and unsuccessful legal action were among the reasons why Worcester City Council failed to recover the cash.

Housing board members agreed to write off £22,434.34 at a meeting last night.

This amount, added to £25,829.91 written off last November for the same reasons, brought the total to £48,264.25 for the financial year.

But head of housing services Sue Jackson warned that, if missing tenants did reappear on the housing list, they would be made to pay up.

Collect

"We throw debts off when we think we can't recover them," said Mrs Jackson. "We look at every case and the reason why it's not recoverable.

"More than £7,000 is from people who've died or been admitted to a residential home.

"If someone dies, relatives have to give four weeks' notice and, with rent of £50 a week, it mounts up."

The Guildhall meeting heard that some arrears dated back to before 1998.

In December, the board voted to transfer its housing stock to an independent landlord.

More than £52m was needed to bring homes up to Government standards and the council estimated it could raise just £24m. Tenants are due to vote later this year.

"This debt is 1 per cent of the rent we should be collecting during the year. We collect the majority," Mrs Jackson said.