A THIRD bedroom tax protest is being held in Worcester - with placard waving campaigners taking to the city centre on Thursday.

The same group behind two previous mass sleep out events in the city’s Croft Road car park will be outside Boston Tea Party in Broad Street all day trying to spread their message.

The group have already ordered a raft of A-boards and banners saying ‘Axe the Tax’ and will lay tables where the market traders normally are.

Unlike the sleep outs, one of which took place overnight, the campaigners say this time they will aim to pull people over and speak to them directly.

Lorry driver Noel Kennedy, aged 46, of Battenhall, the organiser, said: “I’ve been absolutely determined not to give up on this, and here we are.

“This time it will be different because I’ll be talking to people and asking them if they’ve been affected by the bedroom tax.

“People are suffering in silence and the only answer to how we feel is to protest peacefully and spread that message.

“We’ve ordered A-boards and posters to make an impact and I won’t let it go.

"A lot of work is going into it again and we want Worcester people to take notice.”

The protest will start at 9am and carry on until 6pm, and it has already been cleared with the city council and Chamber of Commerce.

Under the bedroom tax, officially known as the spare room subsidy, council house tenants get reduced housing benefit for having spare bedrooms.

The cut is 14 per cent for one empty bedroom or 25 per cent for two, with the resident asked to pay the difference or downsize.

It came into force in April, and has already survived one High Court legal challenge from disabled people.

Although it has many detractors, the Government says the policy is aimed at reducing Britain’s welfare bill and freeing up more social homes for families with more than one child.

For more details on Thursday's protest email noel3003@gmail.com