A woman claiming benefits for her disability committed fraud when she failed to admit that her condition had improved.

CCTV footage showed Tricia Cooper, of Royds Avenue, New Mill, working at a convenience store.

Her job included stacking shelves and carrying stacks of newspapers.

But the 46-year-old had claimed more than £18,000 in disability living allowance on the basis that she had a sedentary office-based job.

Yesterday Kirklees magistrates handed the 46-year-old a suspended jail term.

She had pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions a change of circumstances she knew would affect her entitlement to a benefit.

Cooper was in receipt of disability living allowance between November 2006 and March 2014.

She was awarded the middle care rate on the basis that she needed help with daily tasks such as getting dressed, bathing and cooking a meal.

Vanessa Jones, prosecuting, told the court that during this period Cooper was overpaid a total of £18,236.

Mrs Jones said: “She changed her job from sedentary office work to working at a convenience store.

“This included stacking shelves, receiving and unpacking deliveries, carrying newspapers and using an in house oven.

“It’s quite an active description and she was managing to do that and not reporting any falls in the accident book.”

The Huddersfield court heard that the store manager completed a questionnaire detailing Cooper’s duties.

Mrs Jones said: “That contradicted the claimed capabilities of Mrs Cooper. CCTV footage showed her at work undertaking her duties.”

Bob Carr, mitigating, said that his client had made a legitimate claim due to her ‘horrendous’ medical problem.

He told magistrates that when she changed jobs Cooper’s employer placed more demands on her.

Mr Carr said: “It’s right to say there was an improvement that should have been notified. The problem with her medical condition is that it goes up and down and varies from week to week.

“You here horrendous cases of people off work claiming benefit and people playing golf or jumping on a trampoline.

“This isn’t the case here - this is a woman who has a permanent disability.”

Magistrates accepted that Cooper’s claim wasn’t fraudulent from the outset but told her that she should have kept the benefits agency informed.

They sentenced her to 26 weeks in custody suspended for a year. Cooper must also complete a 15 day activity requirement and pay £85 court costs.