The body responsible for chasing absent parents for cash has defended its record after it was revealed more than £32 million is owed in Bradford alone.

Last week, the Telegraph & Argus reported that the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), which is now in charge of the Child Support Agency, is pursuing parents in the area for failing to pay £32.8 million towards the upkeep of their offspring.

A breakdown reveals non-resident parents owe £8.29 million in Bradford South, £7.45 million in Bradford East, £6.035 million in Bradford West, £5.748 million in Keighley and £5.3 million in Shipley.

Despite the huge amount outstanding, the organisation claims progress is being made.

A spokesman for the CMEC said: “The Child Support Agency collected or arranged a record £1.141 million in child maintenance in the year ending March, 2010. Total payments and the number of children benefiting from them have increased by more than 40 per cent since 2005.

“Regrettably some parents go to great lengths to avoid their financial responsibility to their children, requiring costly and time-consuming enforcement action to be taken against them. But we do not give up on cases and nor do we write off accumulated arrears.

“The Commission is using tough enforcement measures, including deducting money directly from bank accounts, seizing properties through Order for Sale action and preventing or reversing the transfer of assets from a non-resident parent with outstanding arrears to another person in order to evade child maintenance.

“In the last 12 months to January, 2010, 114,400 new enforcement actions were taken. Some 500 properties are currently subject to Order for Sale action.

“We expect this progress to continue when the entirely new maintenance service now being developed by the Commission gradually replaces the CSA from 2011.”