A TEAM leader at a soft drinks company's distribution depot helped himself to bags of cash delivered from vending machine returns.

David Tyler, who was said to have been suffering work-related stress, "squirrelled away" almost £16,000 in his home during the course of almost 11 months, in 2005.

Durham Crown Court heard that he took the money from bags containing vending machine returns collected by delivery drivers and dropped off at the Coca-Cola depot, at Peterlee.

Steven Orange, prosecuting, said Tyler, the vending team leader, assisted drivers arriving from their rounds by helping them to place the sealed bags onto a conveyor belt at the depot.

"Over a period of several months, the company realised substantial losses had arisen and so surveillance was carried out," he said.

"They realised Mr Tyler was 'helping' drivers coming in to put cash bags onto conveyor belts, and, if he thought no one was watching, he would take one out from the conveyor belt and put it into his car boot.

"Over a period of months, it mounted up."

Mr Orange said police were informed and, after one delivery, Tyler was stopped driving home from work with £200 in coins found in his car.

"When they searched his home nearly £16,000 was found in different locations," said Mr Orange.

Tyler made full admissions and told police he was under financial pressure after moving into a new home.

Don MacFaul, mitigating, presented references on behalf of Tyler and said he was of previous good character.

Mr MacFaul said the depot had a turnover of £4.5m and, as a team leader, Tyler was "conscious and diligent", but suffered work-related stress.

"It was against a backdrop of significant pressure at work where the offending took place," he said.

"Little or any of that money was used in any way, he just squirrelled it away."

Mr MacFaul said Tyler has moved to west Yorkshire and found work as a domestic transport planner.

He plans to repay the stolen money from the sale of his previous home, in Hartlepool.

Tyler, 46, of Claremount Road, Halifax, admitted theft and was given a 12-month community order, including 120 hours of unpaid work, on condition he repays the money by March 3 next year.