Stockton MP Criticises Benefits Street Filming

1 September 2014, 11:42 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham has accused TV show Benefits Street of exploiting vulnerable residents in the town.

Love Productions is filming the controversial show's second series on Kingston Road in the town.

The programme's been accused of falsely portraying the lives of people on benefits, but it was cleared of any wrongdoing by Ofcom.

Last series, which was filmed on Birmingham's James Turner Street, attracted 900 complaints from viewers - none of them were upheld though.

In a statement, the company behind the programme says:
'Benefits Street does not only feature residents who are long term unemployed.

Some participants are receiving other kinds of welfare allowance while others are in full-time employment - though the majority of households on the street do have someone claiming benefits.

The series is about streets that have a real sense of community and residents who are getting on with their lives despite the challenges they may face.'