CCTV is a pain in the neck for woman who faked whiplash

A woman who claimed she suffered whiplash when a bus collided with her car was caught out as a liar by the bus's CCTV - which showed her standing at the side of the road, a court heard.

Patricia Walker, 57, submitted an insurance claim saying she was sitting in her Ford Focus when it was struck by an Arriva single-decker in Walthamstow in December 2008.

But when investigators analysed onboard cameras, they showed her walking across Higham Hill Road, round the back of the bus and to the entry doors by the driver's cab after the collision.

At Snaresbrook crown court, Walker, who lives in Walthamstow and is unemployed, was sentenced to a 12-month community service order and a three-month curfew after being found guilty of fraud.

The UK motor industry estimates it loses about £500 million a year to fraudulent claims, resulting in an additional £40 to £50 on premiums paid by all motorists.