A gang of Eastern European fraudsters who milked the British benefits system to claim nearly £500,000 used Leeds-Bradford airport as their gateway to the country.

The gang knew how easy it was to defraud ‘Benefit Britain’ and that it was unlikely their applications would ever be checked properly, a Court heard.

They set up a sham company in the north-east of England enabling its employees to claim benefits designed to help low-income families.

Petr Bogar, 36; Jarmila Konopova, 51, both of Gateshead; Miroslav Bogar, 54; Martin Bogar, 35; Paulina Bogarova, 34, all of Scotswood, Newcastle; and Martin Balog, 26, of Walker, Newcastle, all admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between January, 2008, and last October.

Paul Simpson, prosecuting, said Petr Bogar was the company director of Ragob Building Services and his wife, Jarmila Konopova, was the company secretary. The others were all described as facilitators. Their role involved preparing false payslips, filling in forms and collecting and dropping people off at Leeds Bradford Airport.

In reality, the employees flew into this country for a few days – enough for their applications for working tax credits, child tax credits and child benefits to be processed – and then left again.

In all, the six masterminded 55 benefit applications during 21 months, costing the British taxpayer £457,785, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Mr Simpson said the gang – two from the Czech Republic and four from Slovakia – set up a company called Ragob Building Services on Tyneside. Then applications on behalf of its workers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were made on the grounds they were working fewer than 16 hours a week meaning they were entitled to claim working tax credit and child tax credits if they had children.

Mr Simpson said the applicants – referred to by the gang as ‘horses’ – returned to their homelands, where they were able to withdraw the benefits. The court heard each claimant would have received £11,889.08, or £566.14 a month, a proportion of which was handed over to the gang.

The UK Border Agency, police, HM Revenue & Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions and Newcastle City Council worked together to smash the fraud.

Tony Davis, for Balog, a father-of-two, said: “It is not a sophisticated fraud in any way, shape or form. The reality is that this country is known as ‘Benefit Britain’. This defendant cannot be held responsible for that.”

Petr Bogar was jailed for four years; Martin Bogar and Martin Balog were jailed for three years; Jarmila Kono-pova was sentenced to 21 months in jail; and Paulina Bogarova received 18 months’ imprisonment. Miroslav Bogar will be sentenced later.