A MAN continued to claim benefits despite banking £300,000 from the sale of his market stall.

Munir Ullah, 67, splashed out £187,000 in cash on a new detached house after the windfall.

He also used the cash, from the compulsory purchase of his family's fabric stall in Droylsden, to renovate two terraced houses.

But despite owning three homes, Ullah continued to claim council tax benefit and pensions credits.

He was overpaid more than £6,300 over two-and-a-half years after he failed to notify benefits officers of his change in circumstances, Tameside magistrates heard.

Ullah was fined £5,000 after admitting dishonesty charges. He was also told to pay court costs of £150.

Now Tameside council's deputy leader Joe Kitchen has called for a tougher sentence.

Coun Kitchen said: "Sometimes with benefit cheat cases, and certainly with a case as serious as this, I feel magistrates ought to consider a custodial sentence or even send it to crown court for a judge to look at.

Stealing

"With all that money in the bank, this person must have known he was not entitled to benefits. He was stealing from the public purse, from people on benefits who genuinely need the money."

Ullah made his benefit claim while living with his wife Fauzier Munir at a terraced house in Katherine Street, Ashton under Lyne.

Tameside council began an investigation when they were told major work was being carried out at the property and the one next door, which was also owned by the couple.

Investigators found the couple no longer lived in Katherine Street but had moved to the detached house on Manchester Road, Audenshaw.

Ullah, who is retired and suffers from angina, said: "It was an honest mistake and one I'm sorry for.

"I didn't realise that property counted as capital, it was a lack of knowledge. It wasn't intentional.

"We're respectable people. I've been in Britain for more than 40 years, since 1963, and have worked hard all that time.

"Our circumstances changed when our shop was bought by compulsory purchase order and I didn't inform the benefits people.

"It was my fault. I'm paying the fine now and hopefully that will be the end of it."

Between August 2004 and April 2007, he was paid £2,050 in council tax benefit and £4,260 in pension credits, a total of £6,310.

To report benefits cheats, call the National Fraud hotline on 0800 3286340.