A MAN who suffers from severe back problems, says he feels vindicated after he was awarded hundreds in benefit back payments – but the battle is not over yet.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) admitted there had been an error regarding Mark Rogerson’s benefits payments and agreed to pay him almost £500 to make up for it.

“It’s ludicrous, what I’ve been through and am still going through,” he said.

“What I want to do is get better and get back to work. It’s an insult for someone who has worked their whole life.”

He said he’s been thrilled with readers’ reactions to the story since the original article was published in the Worcester News on Wednesday.

“I’ve been sitting in my pit reading the comments. It’s nice to have readers’ support and have a paper willing to contest this for me.”

However, the 57-year-old, of Worcester, was shocked to return home on Thursday, after receiving an epidural at the hospital, to find a letter from the DWP threatening to send the bailiffs round.

A spokesman for the DWP, however, explained that this was an automated letter which was sent out before the error regarding his benefits had been put right.

It related to an advance paid to him several months ago and which would normally be automatically paid back at a few pounds a fortnight with money taken from a claimant’s benefits.

Mr Rogerson had worked as a stagehand at Malvern Theatres before triggering a long-standing back problem last June, which had been originally operated on in 1999.

Mr Rogerson, of Worcester, was receiving Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) until March when he was switched unexpectedly to Jobseekers Allowance (JSA).

Despite having doctor’s notes saying he was unfit to work, which he said he sent to the DWP and handed in personally at the job centre, his account was then frozen. He had only ever received one payment of £73.10 and the one short-term advance of around £56.

The DWP has now contacted him, promising to pay him £146 and £340 over a two-week period as a catch-up for the payments missed.

However, Mr Rogerson is currently speaking to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau about contesting his benefits, as he believes he should still be on ESA rather than JSA.