Investigations carried out by Barnet Borough Council’s anti-fraud team have been aired on national television.

Barnet Borough Council’s anti-fraud team featured in three episodes of BBC1’s new series, Saints and Scroungers.

In the first of the programmes, broadcast on 25 September, the documentary highlighted the team’s role in a joint investigation with the Department for Work and Pensions and Enfield Borough Council into a £183,000 fraud case.

The episode focused on the investigation into false housing council tax benefit claims made by Manzoor Qader and Hannah Grigson.

The pair said they were lone parents without savings – but they owned two properties and were living together.

Nursery owner Sarah Tolner, formerly of Flower Lane, Mill Hill, featured in an episode on September 26.

She owned a private nursery but was found to have falsified the dates of birth of children on paperwork to claim more than £370,000 for free education for those aged between three and five.

Tolner pleaded guilty to charges in January of this year and received a ten-month suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 200 hours' unpaid work.

She was made to pay back the £37,000 overpayment as well as a further £18,000 in costs.

The third episode, to be aired on October 10, will feature the investigation into Arsim Mehmeti, of Watford Way, Mill Hill, who pleaded guilty to carrying out fraud after claiming £26,000 of housing and council benefit, despite having more than £50,000 in savings.

In October 2013 he received a five-month suspended sentence.

Deputy leader of Barnet Council, Councillor Daniel Thomas, said: “I’m pleased that the work of the council’s corporate anti-fraud team has been highlighted once again.

“The team is highly skilled at exposing any fraud that is taking place and seeing that those responsible are prosecuted.

“I am sure these investigations will serve as a strong reminder to others looking to cheat the system that they will be caught.”