A benefits cheat who plundered tens of thousands of pounds he wasn't entitled to has again been spared jail for failing to do his community service.

Wayne Foster was ordered to do 175 hours of unpaid work after he and his wife were convicted of falsely claiming state hand outs by claiming they didn't have jobs.

But the 42-year-old has repeatedly failed to turn up to do the work and has also missed other appointments with the probation service.

Andrew Stone, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how he had done just 22 hours of the work since it was imposed in January.

But the father of three failed to turn up on Saturday March 18, and again twice in late April, without any explanation for his absences.

Mr Stone said the probation service say they have not been contacted by the defendant, though he claims to have sent in self certificated sick notes.

Foster, representing himself, told the court that he suffers from a bad back and his sciatica meant he was too unwell for attend for work.

He blamed the fact that he kept getting different case managers at the probation service for the message getting through that he could not turn up for the work, adding he was very keen to get it done.

Adding 25 hours to the sentence Judge Tim Mousley QC said "I am not entirely convinced by your explanation. It seems your approach to this order is not entirely satisfactory."

Foster and his wife Lisa claimed housing benefit and council tax relief saying they were struggling financially as he was out of work.

But in reality he was earning £24,000 a year from his job at Honda while his 41-year-old wife was also had a job with supermarket chain Iceland.

When Lisa made a housing benefit claim in 2013 she omitted her husband's National Insurance number and said he did not work.

And in a review of their benefits in March 2015 she told the authorities that nothing had changed.

But in reality HMRC records showed that Mr Foster had been working for the car giants since 2001 earning just under £24,000 a year.

Between February 2012 November 2015 they got £12,244.67p housing benefit they were not entitled to.

And between February 2012 and January 2013 they got £1,143.14p in council tax relief making their total gain £13,387.81p.

When she was questioned Lisa said she did not understand the documents she filled in and had left her husband out as he did not contribute to the household.

The Fosters, if Holdcroft Close, Blunsdon, each pleaded guilty to fraud and failing to disclose information. Lisa was told to do 120 hours of unpaid work.