A MAN from Walney who tried to obtain a credit note for drill bits and saw blades he had stolen from a DIY store has escaped a jail sentence.

Lee Dacre, prosecuting, said that on Saturday, June 11 at 2.30pm, Raymond Dobson, 33, of Methuen Street, Walney, stole £47 worth of items he had never bought from a B&Q store.

He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Furness Magistrates Court on Tuesday July 19.

Dobson, who had his benefits cut after moving to Bolton, had returned home to care for his mother.

Michael Graham, defending, said: "Until recently Mr Dobson has moved out of the area to Bolton but returned to Barrow due to personal and family reasons as he is now a carer for his mother.

"He had qualified for Universal Credit but because he changed his address that was deemed as a change in circumstances and as a result, his benefits were frozen. He committed the offence because he was short of funds."

Dobson has 21 previous convictions for 42 offences, eight of which were for dishonesty in terms of theft and five of which were fraud-related.

He was fined £170 for this particular offence but has been ordered to pay a total of £755 after missing previous payments that were supposed to be paid for earlier offences.