A WOMAN used her friends' identities to apply for loans and credit cards to clear her own debt.

Ursula Jones, who works at Urenco in Capenhurst, admitted using false details on 11 occasions to try to get credit.

She stole details of a close neighbour, her ex-partner, a former tenant at her home and also abused her position at work to raid a colleague's personnel file, Chester Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Oliver King said most of the applications, made in 2003-2004, failed and although she applied for £25,000 of credit, she only managed a £4,000 loan.

She also ordered goods from a catalogue using a forgotten account set up by a former tenant at her address who had not diverted her post.

And, taking advantage of her position in the human resources department at Urenco, she used details from a colleague's file, added Mr King.

Defending, Robin Boag said the 35-year-old mother-of-one has a degree and teaching qualifications but had accrued debts and became desperate.

He said Jones, of Thornhill Close in Broughton, made a full admission when police and bank investigators traced the applications to her e-mail address. She then had to endure a two-year wait for the case to come to court.

Judge Stephen Clarke told Jones: 'The worst part of these offences is the breach of trust against people you knew.

'It means these people, when they need to get credit themselves in the future, may be refused.'

Jones was sentenced to a 150-hour community punishment order.