An ambulance driver lied to investigators when he was caught claiming housing benefit while failing to reveal he had £30,000 savings in the bank, a court was told.

Adrian Ansell, 42, claimed he was looking after the cash for a friend.

Later he admitted he had not been telling the truth and had been saving the money for years.

Ansell had not wanted to lose it by paying the £1,000 a month rent on his house.

He was sentenced to a four-month curfew order, which means he must remain at home at night and be electronically tagged.

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court Ansell admitted six charges connected to the benefit fraud.

Len Batten, prosecuting for Brighton and Hove City Council, told the court Ansell and his partner, Kelly Pittick, claimed housing and council tax benefit in February last year for their three-bedroom privately rented home in Elder Close, Portslade, Brighton.

At the time Ansell declared he had one bank account and his only savings were £113. But investigations showed he had two other bank accounts and a total of £18,000 in savings. It was later revealed he had a further £12,800 in an ISA account.

Mr Batten said in April last year the council received a letter from a Paul Butcher stating he had entrusted Ansell with his personal funds because his friend was helping him to save. The council was also sent an agreement setting out the savings arrangement and signed by both Ansell and Mr Butcher.

During an interview in November last year Ansell admitted all the money was his.

He told council officers he claimed the cash belonged to a friend because he did not think he would get any help with the rent if he had admitted the level of his savings.

Ansell had received £3,417 housing and council tax benefit he was not entitled to and is now paying back the money.

Delaney Igbo, defending, said Ansell and Ms Pittick had struggled financially on his earnings of £1,175 net a month. She said Ms Pittick had two children from a previous relationship and the couple had a one-year-old son together.

She said most of the savings had now been spent paying for the rent on their home.

Ms Igbo said Answell, a former taxi driver, had bought a flat 22 years ago with a girlfriend but after they parted he took on the mortgage and fell into debt.

He had paid off his debts and moved in with his father, and started to build up his savings.

Ms Igbo said: “He admits he did not declare his savings. He knew he should have done so. He admits he made up the story about the money belonging to a friend. He says it was an act of impulse.”

“He is a man of good character and he has shown a great deal of remorse.”

Magistrates heard Ansell, who has worked as an ambulance driver for four years, was unsuitable for a sentence of unpaid work in the community because of his shift patterns. He was given a 12-month community order during which time he will be supervised by the probation service.

The four-month curfew order means he must be at home between 10.30pm and 6am.

He was also ordered to pay £500 towards the prosecution costs.