A man who was claiming council benefits despite having £188,000 in the bank has been ordered to do 120 hours unpaid community work.

Mark Powell, 47, of Winterbourne Road, Abingdon, admitted two counts of benefit fraud at a hearing last month.

Powell had failed to declare four bank accounts on a benefits claim form and had failed to declare that he had received £188,231.44.

This meant he received payments of £517.55 in council tax benefit and £3,544.26 in housing benefit, which he was not entitled to.

The money has since been paid back to the Vale of White Horse District Council.

Powell pleaded guilty to charges of dishonestly making false statements and of dishonestly failing to report a change in circumstances.

Magistrates sentenced him to a community order and told him to pay court costs of £1,917.