A cap on household welfare payments will come into force in Croydon this month.

Some 621 benefits claimaints are expected to be affected in the borough, losing an average of £79 a week.

Croydon was one of four boroughs chosen to be a guinea pigs for the new cap ahead of its introduction nationwide in the summer.

The cap, part of Government welfare reforms, limits household benefit income to £350 a week for single adults or £500 a week for couples and parents.

Gavin Barwell, Conservative MP for Croydon Central, said he was "celebrating" the introduction of the limit but was concerned the borough could be disadvantaged by trialling it before neighbouring areas.

He said: "I am a very strong supporter of the principle of the policy.

"I think it is wrong that people who aren't working should be able to get more than the average family that is working in benefits.

"I think there is an issue in terms of introducing it in some places before you introduce it in others and we need to keep a very close eye on how that works, because in terms of securing emergency accomodation for the homeless, for example, Croydon is potentially at a disadvantage to some of the neighbouring councils."

But Labour Councillor Wayne Lawlor said the benefit cap unfairly penalised vulnerable residents with large families.

He said: "It is not uncommon for people to have fallen on hard times and I don't think it is for the Government to be getting high and mighty towards large families by taking this away.

"It is very easy to target the vulnerable but that does not mean we should be doing it."

The cap will come into force on April 15.