CHEATS have been ordered to repay over £ million falsely claimed in housing or Council Tax benefits.

A "gang of six" fraud squad has uncovered 2,000 bogus claims and offenders were ordered to pay back £512,135 they weren't entitled to.

The council is allowed to keep all the money recovered, even though the majority of it was paid out by the government.

And there was an added bonus of an extra £292,000 paid in to Metro coffers in the form of a government subsidy for the six-strong fraud squad's detection success.

Main categories of fraud were: failure to declare increased levels of income; working while claiming benefit; failure to notify details about non-dependants and failure to declare a partner in an application.

Finance chairman Cllr Brian Strett said: "Benefit cheats who defraud the system spoil it for the overwhelming number of genuine claimants, who end up having to pay for the cheats' dishonesty.

"I am proud of the work of the team, which has saved the local tax payer considerable sums. It also send out a very clear message to potential cheats - you won't win in the end."

But finance chiefs say genuine claimants have nothing to fear.

Cllr Strett added: "We definitely don't do this in a heavy-handed or oppressive way, and it is only the cheats who need worry."

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