Investigations into suspected benefit fraud in Bristol have dramatically increased in the last year, just as the number of investigators dealing with them has been reduced.
Bristol City Council's Benefit Fraud Team looked into 653 suspected false claims in 2009/10, a 20% increase on the year before.
At the same time the team that has to bring benefits cheats to justice has been cut back by 20%.
More than £1.3 million of tax payers money was paid out to fraudulent claimants in the last year.
The fraud team prevented a further £470,000 in fraudulent claims being paid out through its investigation work.
The budget for the team last year was £484,000 but it currently only has five and a half full time equivalent members of staff, dealing with a caseload of around 49,182 between them as of April this year.
And a report on the team's performance in the last year warns that caseload could further increase because of the recession.
The 49,182 figure represents every person claiming benefits in the city, around one in 10 of the population.
Between April 2009 and April 2010, a total of £1,324,833 in overpaid benefits from the council and the Department for Work and Pensions was identified as fraud.
According to the report, the number of cases investigated and prosecuted was higher than the year before.
In 2009/10 653 cases were investigated, compared to 546 the year before, a 20 per cent increase.
Of these 179 led to prosecution, cautions or penalties, more than the 162 in 2008/09.
From that 179, 79 people were prosecuted and 100 cautioned or given an administration penalties, also known as "sanctions".
The team should have seven full-time investigative staff to deal with that, but one now spends have their time dealing with other issues and another has gone on maternity leave.
The report states: "During 2008/09, the council had the lowest investigative staffing resource per 1,000 case load of the core city group of councils. The sanction target for 2010/11 is set at 170 for the year, and while this is an increase on the previous year's target, it will be a challenge to achieve in light of the increasing fraud risk and a 21 per cent reduction in staffing."
The report, due to be considered by the council's audit committee on Friday, gives a number of examples of successful prosecutions.
In February this year, a Southmead woman was sentenced to six months in prison after a £82,000 fraud that spanned more than 11 years. An investigation by the council and the DWP revealed she had been claiming benefit as a single person despite being married.
Council spokesman Peter Wood said: " Bristol does have a live benefit caseload of approximately 49,000 but we don't investigate all those claims only a proportion which come to us either as referrals or cases we identify ourselves from pro active audits and data matching work.
"The council's benefit fraud team is committed to protecting the public purse, providing value for money and to ensuring that benefits go to those who are entitled to assistance.
"We have a very good record of taking action against those who seek to claim benefits fraudulently using a variety of means and will continue to maintain the integrity of the service in these challenging times."
Anyone who suspects benefit fraud has taken place can call the Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0500 554535.
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