A SIDEMOOR man has been given a six month community order to include supervision after falsely claiming thousands in benefits.

William Shire, of Melbourne Road, said he was living alone to falsely claim £18,085 between March 2009 and July 2012.

In fact, between this period, he had another person over the age of 18 living with him.

An investigation was launched by the Department for Work and Pensions who identified the fraud through cross matching data. Officers then went on to invite Bromsgrove District Council to work with them, in order to investigate the full extent of the offending.

After hearing full details of the case on September 2, Redditch magistrates advised Mr Shire that the offences were serious enough to warrant the sentence which will see him visit a probation officer for six months.

The 64-year-old was also ordered to pay £150 towards the prosecution costs.

The overpaid benefit is being recovered by the Department for Work and Pensions and the district council through their own methods.

A Bromsgrove District Council spokesman said: “This latest prosecution highlights the importance of anybody claiming benefits of any kind to declare their true circumstances and the consequences of not doing so.”

Anyone wishing to report a suspicion of benefit fraud can do so by calling 01527 881221, completing the online fraud report form at bromsgrove.gov.uk/fraud, or by emailing fraud@bromsgrove.gov.uk.