Twitter traps con artist.

A runner who claimed to be suffering whiplash from a car collision was denied an insurance payout after a post on his Twitter account showed he'd been one of the first finishers in a race soon after.

The athlete, from Preston, Lancashire, submitted a claim for nine months neck pain following a knock in a petrol station.

But insurer Aviva found that, three months after his diagnosis, the 29-year old posted a message revealing he had taken one of the top spots in a local running race. He later posted a picture of himself at the summit of Mount Snowdon.

After Aviva presented the evidence, he dropped his claim.

The insurance giant then took the man to Liverpool County Court. The judge ordered him to pay £9,213 to cover Aviva's costs.