Animals and motorbikes appear on UK expense claims

FRAUDELENT expense claims by British workers are swindling employers out of more than £1bn a year according to new research.

Spurious expense claims including plastic surgery, a new car, a diamond engagement ring, escorts, council tax, a honeymoon, Viagra and even a goat.

Findings also revealed workers are embezzling their employer's money to add a touch of glamour to their homes in the name of work.

Respondents admitted buying furniture, home entertainment, refurbishing their homes with a new bathroom, kitchen, gym and even wallpaper and paint to spruce up their homes.

The Travelodge research of 3,000 British employees identified the typical worker pockets an extra £17.00 each month that they claim.

This means claimants make an extra £204.00 a year through dodgy expense claims, totalling £9,078 over a working lifetime.

Guy Parsons, Travelodge chief operating officer said: “In today's climate, companies cannot afford to splurge workers on ridiculous non work related expense claims which is costing bosses over £1bn a year. Even tweaks on everyday claims such as taxis, mileage and the odd bottle of wine can really rack up a business bill over the year. With the new financial year fast approaching this is the ideal time for employers to adopt a low-cost culture, starting by reviewing their expenses policy first.”

Around 22% of men have used their expense account to wine and dine the opposite sex at prestigious restaurants in contrast to just nine per cent of women.

Despite rampant claims fiddling, only eight per cent of employees have been caught and sacked for fiddling their expenses.