A petrol station cashier stole £1,800 from the garage where she worked, a court heard.

Lindsay Bray, of Cardinal Close, Bury St Edmunds, pleaded guilty to theft by employee when she appeared before South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court in Ipswich.

The 35-year-old stole money on 45 separate occasions between August 2 last year and October 17.

Prosecutor Colette Harper said during Bray’s shifts working for Esso in The Street, Great Barton, she would void cash sales from customers and take the money herself.

Bray admitted taking £40 each day over a 45-day period.

David Shipman, representing Bray, said his client had been in financial difficulties.

Although Bray had found further employment after being sacked she lost her job after telling her new employer she would be in court.

Bray was sentenced to a 12-month community order with a 200-hour unpaid work requirement. She must also pay £1,800 compensation to Esso, £85 costs and £85 to the victims’ fund.