THE number of benefit cheats being snared by Basildon Council has soared - with 27 caught in three months.

The prosecutions since the start April mark a huge increase, as only 16 people were collared during the 12 months before.

Council bosses say the crackdown will continue and the public can expect more prosecutions.

Phil Turner, Tory cabinet member for resources, said: "We are better prepared than ever to trap and punish the fraudsters who commit this type of crime.

"Our investigators have uncovered more than £360,000 of fraud in the past three months, compared to £560,000 from April 2006 to this April."

"We are likely to see a further increase in prosecution numbers, as more and more fraudsters are rooted out and punished."

Results have dramatically improved after guidelines over who can face court were relaxed to include lesser amounts and shorter periods of fraud.

The council has hit 39 other people with penalties, including formal cautions and a pay-back option, where the offender returns the money, plus an extra 30 per cent.

This is compared to 52 from April 2006 to April 2007.

Last month, Cheryl Hammond, 62, of Skylark Close, Billericay, was given60 hours of community service and ordered to pay costs of £1,536, after falsely claiming £2,500 in council tax benefits.

Also, Claire Bonner, 32, formerly of Wetherland, Basildon, falsely claimed £2,300 in housing benefit, £1,400 in council tax and £8,000 in income support.

She was given a six-month prison sentence, which was suspended for 12 months.

In May, Geoffrey Bull-ock, 65, received a 12-month conditional discharge and had to pay £250 costs for falsely claiming £2,000 in housing benefit and £500 council tax benefit. The council's benefits service deals with about 16,500 claims each year, amounting to £58m in benefits.

Mr Turner added: "We will not tolerate cheats who pick the pockets of taxpayers and steal money that could be used for improving public services.

"While we will continue to do all we can to help anyone legitimately entitled to claim benefits, we will take the toughest possible action against those who abuse the system."