TWO fraudsters who falsely claimed more than £15,000 in benefits between them have been ordered to repay every penny.

Amanda Edge, of Marshfield Avenue, Crewe, pleaded guilty before South and East Cheshire Magistrates Court on September 30 to falsely receiving housing benefit, Council Tax benefit and Council Tax support totalling £7,565 to which she was not entitled.

Edge, 44, had claimed the benefits on the basis that she was on a low income.

However, investigators found she had not declared to the authorities that her income had increased – and had fraudulently claimed the benefits for more than four years.

Magistrates sentenced Edge to complete 60 hours’ unpaid community work.

She was also ordered to pay £575 court costs and a £60 victim’s surcharge and will have to repay in full the overpaid benefits.

In a separate prosecution, Jenna Goodall, of Harrison Drive, Crewe, pleaded guilty before South and East Cheshire Magistrates Court on September 23 to obtaining housing benefit to which she was not entitled.

Goodall, 28, falsely claimed the benefits saying she was on a low income.

However, an investigation by Cheshire East Council’s benefit fraud investigation team discovered she had failed to declare an increase in her earnings.

In failing to declare this, she was overpaid state benefits totalling £7,571.

Magistrates ordered Goodall to pay a fine of £495, prosecution costs of £500 and a £49 victim’s surcharge.

She was also ordered to repay in full all the benefits she fraudulently received.

Cllr Les Gilbert, Cheshire East Council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “We are an enforcing council and we are committed to stopping people from unlawfully helping themselves to taxpayers’ money.

“Benefit fraud will not be tolerated.

"The defendants in these cases thought they could get away with claiming benefits they were not entitled to – but they were making a very big mistake and will find themselves worse off as a result.

“They have ended up with criminal convictions for a serious offence of dishonesty and now each face a big bill to repay the money they have fraudulently claimed.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy towards benefit fraud because we are determined to ensure that the benefits system works for people who really need help.”