UNEMPLOYED Susan Moore, who was branded "Britain's laziest woman" by a national newspaper after admitting she had never had a job, has received a volley of hate mail.

Susan Moore, of Burythorpe, near Malton, was put in the national media spotlight after she said employment bosses wanted to stop the Jobseeker's Allowance she had claimed for 16 years.

The 34-year-old, who lives with her mother, Jennifer, 58, in a Ryedale Housing Association property, said she had never been offered suitable work or even attended a job interview.

But she insisted today that she was still available for work and that the newspaper claims were "cruel and unfair".

She added that Job Centre bosses have postponed an appeal to reinstate her full benefits for eight weeks because of the media attention.

Miss Moore, who lives on benefits of £90 a fortnight, said: "I was appalled when I saw what they said about me. It wasn't true and it was cruel and unfair.

"Now I'm waiting for everything to blow over. I've had some hate mail. They were horrible and disgusting. I ripped them up and threw them on the fire. They were a complete load of rubbish."

A report in the Evening Press two weeks ago sparked a frenzy of media activity that led to Ms Moore appearing on the front pages of several national newspapers and being interviewed by Eamon Holmes on GMTV.

Miss Moore's unemployment benefits were stopped in July after she failed to complete a six-month training course in Scarborough designed to teach employment skills.

She said she was told off for missing a day, because a taxi did not turn up, and so did not return. She was due to appeal for the reinstatement of her benefits before the Appeals Service in York, yesterday.

Miss Moore said that despite making headlines across the country she had not received a job offer. She said: "I'm available for work. I like looking after children and would like to give babysitting a go."

Speaking about her experience, she said: "It was a bit of a shock to see my picture on the front pages. I was gobsmacked. People had got the wrong end of the stick."

Updated: 10:28 Tuesday, March 02, 2004