A Weston-super-Mare man has been convicted of scamming almost £2,500 in benefits from the council.

Steven Foxall, aged 51, from South Road, was claiming Job Seekers Allowance but failed to tell North Somerset Council he had started work.

As a result, he was overpaid £1,891.47 in housing benefit and £581.38 council tax benefit.

North Somerset Magistrates Court heard Mr Foxall made a claim for Job Seekers Allowance in October 2007.

The claim also meant he was entitled to housing benefit and council tax benefit.

The council had cause to investigate the claim when it received information from the housing benefit matching service that his Job Seekers Allowance had been terminated as he had started paid employment.

The data match indicated that Mr Foxall was in paid employment despite his claim for housing and council tax benefit being made on the basis that his only income was Job Seekers Allowance.

Further investigations revealed that Mr Foxall had been in paid work from February 19, 2008 to August 19, 2008 with average hours worked of about 33½ hours per week.

He was interviewed under caution in November where he admitted that he was aware that he should have informed the council that he had started paid employment and said that it was his "own fault".

At a hearing at North Somerset Magistrates Court, Mr Foxall was sentenced to 80 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay the council's costs of £250.

North Somerset Council deputy leader, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, said: "We will take appropriate action against those who try and defraud the benefits system. This case came to light due to information sharing which will help us investigate this type of fraud."