A Leeds mum has gone from bingo winner to life on the breadline after blowing her jackpot in just 12 months. Cheryl McCann won £49,998 at Mayfair Bingo in Leeds in August 2007. She says she split the prize with family friend Linden Hudson who had lent her £20 to play.

She says spent the money on driving lessons, a car, a new TV, new sofa and other furniture and on holidays and weekends away. She also gave money to her family and friends.  She used the rest of her share of the money to live on – her previous benefits stopped when she won the cash .

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Within 12 months the money was almost all gone. For the past year she has been applying for benefits but has repeatedly been told she doesn’t qualify and Cheryl now faces eviction from her home because she can’t pay the rent. She says she is so broke so has to rely on her mum for handouts and some days can’t afford to send her children to school.  She has stopped paying the council rent and has had her phone cut off. Much of her money is swallowed up by debts with power companies and she has had bailiffs at her home for non-payment of council tax.

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But, despite her perilous financial state, she is being denied benefits because work and pensions bosses say she acted irresponsibly in squandering her winnings.  A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said “While we accept reasonable spending of savings or similar resources when calculating entitlement to means-tested benefits, we have to be sure the taxpayer is not being asked to pay someone who has deliberately spent money or used up resources that could have provided an alternative income.“

Cheryl, 33, said: “I don’t have a penny left. I just don’t know what to do, I’m so desperate.  It’s a mess.”