A mother of four who fraudulently claimed more than £40,000 in benefits has been jailed for three months.

Joanne Gale failed to declare that her boyfriend had moved in to her Southampton home.

Over the space of three years, the 37-year-old then continued to claim tens of thousands of pounds in benefits that she was not entitled to.

Now she is waking up in jail after admitting her dishonesty.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Gale had been claiming benefits legitimately since 1992 while raising four children.

But in 2007, she began a relationship with a man and failed to notify the authorities that he had moved in to her home in Rossington Avenue, Bitterne, despite receiving “constant reminders” about her responsibilities.

Eventually investigators found that her boyfriend had used her address while registering his vehicle licence and in an application for a car hire had described Gale as his partner and next of kin.

In mitigation, the court heard how Gale had “turned a blind eye” to her responsibilities and that she had been leading a law-abiding life up until 2007.

The majority of her benefit claims had not started fraudulently, the court was told.

Recorder Nicholas Atkinson QC said offences of this kind were “all too prevalent” and sentenced Gale to six months in jail, of which she will serve half.