A "thoroughly dishonest and greedy" couple from Pembroke Dock fiddled more than £26,000 in benefits by keeping quiet about their savings, a judge heard on Friday.

Andrew and Natalie Hudson tripped themselves up when they made an insurance claim after stating that burglers had got away with a substantial amount of money from a safe at their home.

The claim triggered an investigation, said Francis Jones, prosecuting, because the couple appeared to have savings so high they would not have been entitled to claim benefits.

Andrew Hudson, aged 49, and his wife, aged 40, admitted falsely claiming income support and housing benefit, and evading council tax, between February, 2005, and September, 2012.

Mr Jones told Swansea crown court that following the insurance claim investigators found that two bank accounts had not been disclosed.

One contained £16,000 and displayed income payments which were "inconsistent" with a couple living off benefits.

After their arrests Andrew Hudson said some of the money had been left to their children by a relative 16 years earlier. But, said Mr Jones, no will had been produced.

His barrister, James Hartson, said he accepted the claims had been fraudulent from the outset and that the country could ill afford to make payments to people who were not entitled to them.

The court heard that Andrew Hudson had 24 previous convictions, "a lot of them for dishonesty," but his wife had been of previously good character.

Judge Paul Thomas told the Hudsons, "You are thoroughly dishonest and greedy people. You have been stealing from everyone else."

Judge Thomas approved an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act which could see some of the Hudsons' assets seized.

Andrew Hudson was jailed for 10 months, suspended for 12 months, placed under supervision for 12 months and told to complete a benefits fraud work book.

Natalie Hudson was jailed for six months, suspended for 12 months and placed under supervision for 12 months.

The Hudsons recently moved to Tamworth in Staffordshire.