Disabled people in south Essex are now waiting 10 weeks when they appeal decisions about their benefit claims - after wait times almost doubled in a year. 

Disability charity Scope slammed the lengthy waits as "unacceptable", and called the Personal Independence Payment not fit for purpose.

People who are denied PIP – which is worth up to £145.85 a week – or who are awarded less than they expected can ask for an internal review by the Department for Work and Pensions.

In Basildon, people face a median wait of 70 days for this initial review, known as a mandatory reconsideration, according to the latest DWP figures.

People are waiting the same period in Castle Point, while in Southend people are waiting 68 days. 

James Taylor, policy head at Scope, said: "Lengthy waits for PIP decisions mean that disabled people are going far too long without essential financial support.

"Delays in income can force disabled people to make impossible choices about what they can afford.

"Disabled people are being continuously let down by a system that is not fit for purpose. The PIP assessment needs to be overhauled to restore faith and fix the system."

A DWP spokesperson said: "We want people to get the right PIP outcome as quickly as possible.

"That's why we have introduced a new approach to gathering evidence so that fewer people have to go to appeal, and we have recruited extra staff to help reduce waiting times."