A GRANDMOTHER held six jobs over 13 years while claiming £66,000 in incapacity benefits.

Susan Skinner, 60, was jailed for eight months after lying about her health to the Department for Work and Pensions and telling them it had got worse to keep cash coming in.

She received the handouts for claiming she could not sit for 10 minutes or walk further than 200 metres without stopping or feeling severe discomfort.

In reality, she was mostly working throughout the 13-year scam, earning up to £1,400 a month, but alleged she had been hard-up, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Skinner was working as an administrative assistant for the Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust when she stepped into the dock, but had not told her bosses about the fraud or her court appearance.

She had started repaying the money at £50 a month.

The defendant, of Edgemore Close, Shawforth, had earlier admitted three counts of obtaining property by deception and four of failing to promptly notify a change in circumstances.

Judge Beverley Lunt said: "You say, in your letter to me, you feel guilt and ashamed, but that's because you have been found out.

"I accept funds were tight for you, as they are for many, many people in this country, who do not resort to stealing from the taxpayer to supplement their income.

"There must be an immediate custodial sentence. It must punish you and it must deter others."

Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting for the DWP, told the court Skinner made a legitimate claim for incapacity benefit in August 1993.

The claim continued until November 2009 and was based on her assertion she couldn't work.

In 2005/2006 she completed a form saying she could sit for no more than 30 minutes and walk no further than 400 metres without stopping or feeling severe discomfort.

In 2006, she claimed she could not sit for any longer than 10 minutes and could not walk further than 200 metres without stopping or feeling severe discomfort.

Mr Rogers said during the claim, between 1996 and November 2009, the defendant had no fewer than six jobs, with short gaps in between.

She was interviewed in November 2009 and made full and frank admissions.

Skinner, who had been caught out because of a data checking exercise with her employers, obtained £66,449 she was not entitled to over the 13 years.

The prosecutor said Skinner had been repaying the DWP £50 a month, but the full amount would not be payable in her lifetime.

Geoff Whelan, for Skinner, said she suffered from osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension, but was still working.

Her daughter had neglected her three children as she had drug and gambling problems.

Skinner had used her own money to look after her daughter, to bail her out where required and to look after the children.

Mr Whelan said the defendant had not lived an extravagant lifestyle.

She had been in relatively low paid employment, sometimes was not in work and had struggled to make ends meet.

Her home had been repossessed and she was now living in rented accommodation. The defendant had debts and had more going out than was coming in.

The barrister said if she was sent to custody, she would not be able to pay anything further, she would be rendered unemployable in future and would be a further drain on the state.

Speaking after the case, Minister for Welfare Reform Lord Freud said: "When people receive benefits from us they enter into a contract to tell us of any change in their circumstances.

"Deliberately not doing so is a crime and takes valuable funds from those who need the most.

"At best they will have to repay us all the money they have taken, at worst they will end up a criminal."