A MOTHER falsely claimed nearly £11,000 in benefits by failing to tell the authorities that she was living with her husband, a court heard.

Plymouth Magistrates' Court was told that Leanne Stevenson, aged 31, was overpaid income support, housing benefit and council tax relief for more than 18 months.

She admitted two charges of failing to tell the authorities of a change in circumstances which would affect her benefit claim between April 2007 and November 2008.

John Major, prosecuting for the Department for Work and Pensions, said that she initially claimed income support saying she was a single parent of first one and then two children.

He added: "In fact she was living with her husband in a house he purchased under his own name. The claim had been genuine in that she had separated from her husband in September 2006, moving back into a council flat. They were reconciled in March 2007."

Mr Major said that in interview she told investigators that she had a lot of debt and said she needed the benefits to live on.

He added that the total loss to the public purse was 'a few pennies under £11,000'.

Mr Major said that she was paying off the money to the DWP and the city council at a monthly rate.

Richard Speer, for Stevenson, said that the couple overstretched themselves financially at the start of their relationship and found themselves with large mortgage debts.

He added: "She was struggling to make ends meet. She needed the income support she had every week to live on."

Mr Speer said she was working part-time and the couple were selling the house to help clear their debts. She had also taken advice about paying off her debts.

District judge Paul Farmer sentenced her to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £60 prosecution costs.

He added: "What you chose to do in your situation was to take money from everyone who pays taxes and so on to pay your debts."