HOUSING benefit cheats have been warned they will not get away with it after the case of a fraudster who fiddled more than £7,000.

Mark Scott Tennent, of 41 Water Street, Earby, pleaded guilty to four charges of dishonestly making a false statement to obtain housing benefit when he appeared at Burnley Magistrates Court..

He was sentenced to an 80-hour community punishment order for each offence to run concurrently.

Tennent, 40, had stated on claim forms for benefit that his landlady Iris Tennent, also of 41 Water Street, was his aunt when in fact she was his mother.

Pendle Council's housing benefit fraud investigation team said he would not have been entitled to housing benefit if he had declared on the claim forms that she was his mother.

Tennent received £7,695.58 in housing benefit that he was not entitled to. The council said he was now abiding by an agreement to repay the money and magistrates gave him credit for this and his previous good character.

Councillor Azhar Ali, leader of the council, said: "Pendle Council is determined to pay benefits promptly and accurately to those people who are genuinely entitled to them.

"However, we consider benefit fraud to be a serious crime which has an impact on every council tax payer in Pendle.

" We will not tolerate anyone who attempts to defraud a benefits system which is in place to help the needy."

Pendle Council confirmed that the fraud was uncovered following an investigation by its housing benefit fraud investigation team.

Members of the public can anonymously and confidentially report benefit fraud by calling the council's 24 hour fraud hotline on 01282 661888 or by completing the Benefit Fraud Form on the council's website at www.pendle.gov.uk.