A Barnet man will spend the next 40 years paying back around £20,000 he fraudulently claimed in housing and tax benefits.

Admitting benefit fraud at Harrow Crown Court on March 23, unemployed Lewis Powell, 59, of Quinta Drive, confessed in court to claiming £18,400 of benefits from Barnet Council - none of which he was legally entitled to. He was also ordered to pay costs of £2,191.

Because of his financial circumstances, the court agreed Powell could pay back the debt at a rate of £10 a week - meaning it will take him about 40 years to pay back all the money.

Powell failed to tell the council his grown-up son, a London Underground employee at the time, had been living at the family home between 2001 and 2005, which would have affected the level of benefit Powell and his wife were entitled to.

Powell initially denied his son was living at home, instead saying he lived on a houseboat in Norfolk. But when asked for further details, Powell was unable to supply more information.

Councillor Andrew Harper, cabinet member for policy and performance, said: "This case should act as a reminder that we will always pursue benefit cheats for every last penny they have claimed fraudulently.

"Benefit claimants must be totally truthful about their circumstances and let us know of any changes that will affect the level of benefit to which they are entitled."

If you know or suspect anybody of benefit fraud, call the council's fraud hotline on 020 8359 2007.