STAFF sickness is costing Bolton council a staggering £5 million a year -- and council bosses admit stress is the biggest cause.

Figures reveal that more than 131,000 working days were lost through illness last year.

Assistant chief executive David Winstanley, in a report unveiling annual absence figures, said stress could account for almost a third of the 70,000 days lost through long-term sickness and a "significant" proportion of the rest.

"It would appear the biggest single reason for absence is stress-related illness, perhaps 20pc to 30pc," he said.

Worries about a possible culture of absenteeism among some workers have also prompted plans to crack down on staff with poor attendance records - ultimately even sacking them.

The latest statistics - which estimate the cost of missing workers as £4,958,574 - will cause particular concern because they come in the wake of earlier efforts to slash absence levels.

These include the introduction of a workplace stress policy giving workers access to counselling and stress management courses, and the use of physiotherapists.

Yet the overall absence level of 5.62 pc is virtually unchanged since 1998.

Council chiefs acknowledge there is still work to do but insist they are responding positively to the situation. The problem was due to be discussed at a council committee meeting tonight. Cllr Rosa Kay, executive member for Human Resources, said: "Some measures have already been introduced and will take time to bed in. Further positive steps have been identified and will be taken.

"Nobody's saying that there shouldn't be cause for concern. We need to reduce the cost of sickness absence but you are never going to have 100 pc attendance."

One lingering problem is employees with poor attendance records. Just 58pc of workers accounted for all days lost.

To combat this the council has put in place a Medical Incapacity Procedure aimed at improving attendance, with the threat of dismissal a last resort.

Other plans to reduce absence include encouraging managers to spot stress at an early stage to prevent it growing and working with trades unions to identify potential problems.

The council is keen to encourage a "family friendly responsibility" to help employees juggle home and work commitments.

Worries about a possible culture of "absenteeism" among some workers have also prompted plans to crack down on staff with poor attendance records -- ultimately even sacking them.

A spokesman for public sector workers' union Unison said: "Stress is obviously a key issue. It isn't a case of people trying it on, there are very real physical symptoms associated with it and it leads to other health problems.

"A common problem faced by workers in local government is having less time to do more work, there's the fear of cuts and in some cases there can be verbal and physical abuse in the workplace."

Mr Winstanley's report points out that Bolton's sickness figure reflects problems faced by workers in all Metropolitan authorities and is close to the national average.

The estimated cost of sickness absence is the theoretical charge to the council if cover was brought in for absent staff, which it rarely is.

But Mr Winstanley noted that the impact on the level and quality of services was impossible to measure. He said there was a knock-on effect on other employees.