THE landlord of The Blue Bell pub in Dockenfield has been handed a lengthy jail sentence after claiming £1.8m in benefits to fund a luxury lifestyle.

Barry Brooks, 49, claimed he could barely walk, was unable to climb stairs, was wheelchair-bound and could not lift anything heavier than a sandwich.

However, photographs showed him riding a motorbike, scuba diving and playing in a pool on holiday - as well as serving customers at The Blue Bell, which he only took over in October last year.

Dismissing his claimed disability as a "brazen and entirely parasitical" scam, the judge ordered Brooks to stand in the dock at Southwark Crown Court as he sentenced him to eight years in jail.

For full story, see this week's Farnham Herald.