TWO lorry drivers stole more than �10,000 of goods from Tesco after fearing they could lose their jobs.

Christopher Price and Barry Hind claimed they were worried that the Seatec distribution firm in Wisbech could make them redundant in the midst of the economic crisis.

When they were entrusted with taking items to Tesco centres in Norwich and Lowestoft they loaded hundreds of items into their own vehicles.

Their haul included 216 packs of Jaffa cakes, six cases of wine, a case of Tracker bars and a load of Sportex cloths.

Price, jailed for four months, and Hind, jailed for three months, were caught red-handed loading stock into their vehicles in a lay-by on the A47 at Wisbech on August 5 last year.

They had been told their jobs were safe but carried on breaching their employer’s trust out of greed, Cambridge Crown Court heard.

Both pleaded guilty to counts of theft.

Guy Myers, in mitigation for Price, 62, of Worsley chase, March, said: “He stole originally out of panic because he thought he was going to lose his job. He carried on because it became almost addictive.”

Judge Anthony Bate told the offenders they were a “disgrace” to their colleagues in the lorry driving profession.

In mitigation for Hind, Quinton Newcomb said it was “financial problems that caused this offence in the first place”.

But Judge Bate said he raised a “judicial eyebrow” at the amount of some the goods taken.

“Two hundred and sixteen packets of Jaffa Cakes would take an awful long time to consume,” he said.

Mr Newcomb added that Hind, 64, of Beechings Close, Wisbech St Mary, was “incredibly disappointed in himself”.

He said Hind’s wife was “absolutely mortified when she found out about his behaviour”.