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'We'd rather be fat on benefits than thin and working': Mother and daughter who weigh a total of 43 STONE and boast matching mobility scooters receive £34,000 a year in handouts
Janice Manzur, 44, and daughter Amber, 25, weigh a combined 43 stone
They use mobility scooters as their weight makes it hard to get around
Both live in homes that are modified to accommodate their disabilities
Pair say they would rather be happy then 'depressed and thin'
They have no plans to diet and say being big is 'in our genes'
By Lucy Crossley for MailOnline
Published: 12:45 GMT, 14 January 2015 | Updated: 18:34 GMT, 15 January 2015
A mother and daughter who reportedly weigh a total of 43 stone and receive £34,000 a year in handouts say they'd rather be happy and on benefits than depressed and thin.
Janice Manzur, 44, and her daughter Amber, 25, use mobility scooters as their weight means they struggle to get around, while Janice's home in Kirkcaldy, Fife, has been modified by the council to accommodate her disability.
Mother-of-two Janice has been claiming benefits since 2006, while her daughter has not worked for more than two years.
Together they reportedly receive around £33,600 in benefits a year, which is the equivalent of someone earning £46,000 a year before tax.
But the pair have no plans to diet, and say they are happy being overweight, despite the risks of obesity-related health issues.
'I'd rather my daughter live life on benefits being fat and happy than depressed and thin,' Janice, who weighs 26st, told The Sun's Jenny Francis.
As well as her scooter, Janice gets around in a wheelchair-accessible Fiat Qubo car, worth around £15,000, which she gets £200 a month in benefits for.
There is a disabled parking bay outside her home and a ramp has been placed outside her house, making it easier for her to access.
She is living with a number of weight-related conditions, including diabetes, high cholesterol and angina, according to the newspaper.
She says she has tried to lose weight in the past, but was unable to shift the pounds and when she asked a doctor about the possibility of having weight loss surgery, such as a gastric band, was told she was too overweight. She then decided to give up attempts to diet.
She was working as a manager in a call centre, but left because of weight-related health problems.
After winning a tribunal case where it was argued she could work if she lost weight, she now receives £620 in Employment Allowance and £320 in Disability Allowance every month, as well as £300 for rent.
'I've always been big and I'm too fat to work, so I have a genuine disability. I should be miserable but I'm happy. I know this is the way I'm meant to be.'
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Her daughter, herself a mother-of-one, is said to get £400 a month in Employment Support Allowance and an extra £430 for the rent on her modified flat - short walk from her mother's home - which has no stairs, a low front door enabling easy access for her scooter and a bath with a seat to help her get in and out.
She lost her last job in security after breaking her leg and also gets £85 in disability living allowance and £120 in industrial injuries disablement benefit because she is obese and continues to experience problems with her leg. She also receives £240 in child tax credits and £80 in child benefit.
£400 Employment Support Allowance
£85 Disability Living Allowance
£120 Industrial injuries disablement benefit
£430 Rent paid
£240 Child tax credits
£80 Child benefit
Total: £1,355 per month
JANICE'S BENEFITS
£620 Employment Support Allowance
£320 Disability Living Allowance
£300 Rent paid
£200 Mobility car
Total: £1,440 per month
'People shouldn't judge me or my mum for how big we are because it's in our genes,' she said.
While Janice says she eats ready meals because they are cheaper and more convenient than cooking healthier food, Amber says she does not eat much junk food.
Neighbour and friend Steven Hunter, 32, said today: 'I see Amber a lot. She's a nice girl.
'Amber is that bad she can hardly walk. It takes her half an hour to get up the stairs.
'She's never walking. When she comes round to see someone it takes her half an hour to get to the house.
'You can tell it p***** her off.'
But another neighbour, who did not want to be named criticised the money given to the pair.
'The amount of benefits they get is ridiculous,' she said. 'My views are people like that should have their benefits cut. It will fall to the NHS to pay for treatment.'
Janice says although she is too fat to work she is 'happy', and has no plans to diet
Janice says although she is too fat to work she is 'happy', and has no plans to diet
As well as her scooter, Janice gets around in a wheelchair-accessible Fiat Qubo car (similar to the model pictured), worth around £15,000, which she gets £200 a month in benefits for
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As well as her scooter, Janice gets around in a wheelchair-accessible Fiat Qubo car (similar to the model pictured), worth around £15,000, which she gets £200 a month in benefits for
Asked if she sees Amber drive the 50 yards to her mother's house the neighbour said: 'Yes. It's ridiculous. It's just funny. It's a joke.'
She added: 'I just laugh. There is no point getting wound up with things like that.'
Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum said he was 'horrified' that disability benefits were being awarded for obesity.
THE MANZURS' DAILY DIET
Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: Burger and chips, macaroni cheese or fish and chips
Snacks: Bag of crisps, biscuits or sweets
Dinner: A ready meal and sandwich
'I think it's a total exploitation of the benefits system,' he told MailOnline. 'I'm at a loss for words.
'There must be a benefits system available to help those people who require assistance and there are many of them. That is correct and that is why it is there.
'But when it is handed to a family who are happy to exploit it to the degree of £34,000 a year and are refusing to diet the system has gone mad.
'It's very difficult to blame the individuals but what I can blame is the health system which actually allowed this to happen. If you had a proper system of monitoring children and adults and were able to introduce them to weight management courses or weight loss courses we would not be in this situation.
'But the horses have bolted and we can't shut the stable door.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ceive-34-000-year-handouts.html#ixzz3P4IDUhsV
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That's why I am a big admirer of LKY. He is smart, wants to help people, but at the same time, he does not leave his brains at the door. Unlike those morons who keep whining about why we don't have a welfare or pension system here.
