Most people would be shocked if someone tried to swindle them out of about £12,000 a year.

But it does not always seem so reprehensible when the victim is the Government.

Today we report on a Brighton businessman called Bill who cheerfully cons the state each year for benefits he is not entitled to so he can feed a drug habit.

Despite an income of £20,000 a year, he illegally claims income support and has no problem deceiving officials to get it.

Bill intends to go on conning them for as long as he can get away with it and says he is teaching other people his methods.

His case urgently demonstrates the need for the Government to get its act together and combat benefit fraud.

Most people know of someone who is cheating the Government out of cash even if it is not on the scale operated by Bill.

Social security fraud is widespread and the number of successful prosecutions is tiny compared with the total sum involved.

It's worth shopping these benefit cheats because the longer they get away with it, the more the rest of us suffer through increased taxes.