A man appeared in court for stealing 55 bottles of wine from his local supermarket.

Kevin O'Brien, 52, of Coleridge Court, Keswick, pleaded guilty to shoplifting.

West Cumbria Magistrates' Court in Workington heard that O'Brien had stolen £288 worth of wine from the Co-op in Keswick between March 20 and May 8 this year.

His thefts were uncovered after a member of staff saw him leave the store with a bottle of wine in his coat pocket.

After looking at CCTV footage it came to light that O'Brien had been stealing a bottle of wine almost every day.

His solicitor, David Thompson, said: "It's against a background of him having lost his job. In order to feed his drink problem he resorted to stealing from his local Co-op shop. It became easier and easier.

"Mr O'Brien has seen this as a wake-up call. He has got to address his drink problem."

District Judge Gerald Chalk said: "This is a sustained period of dishonesty, going to a shop stealing for your own pleasure."

O'Brien was given a 12-month community order and must complete 40 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay £288 compensation, £85 costs and a surcharge of £85 to fund victim services.