One-legged ex-England cricketer 'stripped of benefits' when DWP catches him batting

A one-legged amputee cricketer claims he lost his disability benefits after DWP investigators filmed him playing for his local club.

Shaun Rigby, 37, lost his leg below the knee in a horror tractor accident when he was just two. He took up cricket five years later and went on to become a member of the England disabled team.

Shaun still plays twice a week for Allscott Heath CC in Shropshire with the help of a runner and an umpire holding his crutch. But unbeknown to the married dad-of-four, he was secretly being watched by DWP investigators after they launched a probe into his disability claim.

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They followed him for weeks and filmed him batting - before using the undercover footage as evidence he “wasn't disabled enough”. The government has now stopped his Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits and taken away his mobility car.

Shaun, who had been in receipt of PIP since 2016 due to his disability, says he was told he was “never eligible for the benefit”. In a letter last week, the DWP said it would be attempting to claw back the cash he has received.

The full-time sheet metal worker says he has been made to feel like a benefits cheat. Shaun, from Telford, Shrops, fumed: “I play cricket - it doesn't mean my leg has suddenly grown back. I was reviewed in 2016 via a home visit. The assessor said ‘What am I doing here? Your leg will never grow back. You will get this for life’.

“I’ve worked since I left school and played cricket since I was seven but the things I can do now are a lot less than 15 to 20 years ago as I've deteriorated quite a lot.

“I am on co-codamol, amitriptyline and naproxen prescribed from my GP which I take moderately day-to-day to help ease the pain and get me through work.

“On a cricket day I take more medication in the morning to help me through the day and make the pain more tolerable. I am still in pain but felt that some sort of activity and interaction with friends was good for my own wellbeing.

“I played for the social side of things. My attitude to life is to try doing things I enjoy whilst I still can. But they have said I should not have any of it because I play cricket; they have footage of me playing. Just because I play cricket doesn't mean my leg has grown back. I still need help getting around.

“They are basically saying I am mobile enough and accusing me of lying on the application. But when I ticked I couldn't walk without being in pain, I wasn't lying, I just carry on through the pain. I don't want to be one of these people who just sits around doing nothing - so I play on through the pain as best as I can.”

Shaun has been given 30 days to appeal and is now around £500 worse off every month after losing daily living and mobility allowance. His take-home pay is around £2,100 a month - £25,200 a year.

He is still awaiting a letter from the DWP to confirm what he owes them. But he believes it will be £40,000-£50,000 based on what he received over that time period.

The exact figure is unknown because he was in receipt of different levels of daily living and mobility over those years. Those rates have also changed since 2016.

Paul had basic daily living allowance between 2016 and last August. He had the lower rate mobility allowance between 2019 and 2021 and then the higher rate mobility from 2023 onwards.

The DWP said it could not comment on an ongoing investigation but said people are able to appeal.