A MUM-OF-FOUR has been ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service after pleading guilty to falsely claiming £10,900 in benefits.

Annette Westall, 51, received income support after telling the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that she lived alone at her home in Amesbury Road, Epping.

However she was actually sharing the house with her partner between November 2007 and March 2009.

At a hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday, Westall was sentenced to a 12 month community order, including 150 hours unpaid work.

She was also ordered to pay the money back and was issued with a confiscation order.

A spokeswoman for the DWP said: "we investigated her case and did a data match that showed she was living with someone."

DWP anti fraud minister Helen Goodman added: “When people commit benefit theft, they don’t get away with it. They face imprisonment, fines and other penalties.

"We will also make sure they pay back the money they have stolen from the taxpayer and seek to ensure any proceeds from their crime are confiscated too.”