A Banbury woman found guilty of benefit fraud could have avoided a criminal record if she had talked to Cherwell District Council's investigators, a court heard.

Vivienne Saunderson, of Northumberland Court, Grimsbury, was convicted of defrauding the council.

Banbury magistrates heard that Mrs Saunderson received housing and council tax benefits while she was receiving £50 a week maintenance payments.

She had refused to attend interviews with the council's fraud unit.

Saunderson told the court she had "substantial debts".

She was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 costs.

The presiding magistrate told her: "You failed to co-operate with the local authority, and this matter could have been sorted out a long time ago."

After the case, Steve Newman, the council's benefits investigations manager, said: "If she had come to the interviews we could have avoided taking her to court.

"Mrs Saunderson now has a criminal record because she didn't."

He said the council was taking a tough stance against this sort of fraud, adding that its prosecutions and sanctions had increased by 500 per cent over the past year.