A BLIND society has raised concerns over changes to the way people can gain access to benefits.

From next month, the Government is phasing out the traditional ways of collecting pensions and benefits from post offices in favour of direct payments into bank accounts.

To continue collecting money from post offices, people will have to enter a pin number at the counter.

Linda Curtis, director of the County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted, said this would pose problems for its members.

She said: "We have been contacted by our members, who are really worried about this.

"They have either received a letter from the Government or encountered these pin-pads in their local post office.

"They are unsure how they are going to get their pension once their books are phased out."

Ms Curtis said the new system was poorly thought out.

"The design of the pin-pad does not take into account the needs of blind and partially sighted people," she said.

"The keys are not very well raised, there is not enough space between them, and it is difficult to find the centre number five key.

"It is not only people with sight problems who will struggle - what about people with arthritis, wheelchair users and those who simply cannot remember a pin number?"

Ms Curtis suggested that those with sight problems be allowed to use the old methods, pending a possible challenge under the Disability Discrimination Act.