43,000 football stickers stolen

A DELIVERY driver could go to jail for stealing World Cup football stickers.

Stuart Ankers (37), of Welcome Parade, Oldham, admitted taking more than 43,000 Panini stickers from Smiths News warehouse in Bredbury over a period of six weeks, Stockport Magistrates Court heard.

He was paid to distribute magazines to shops but helped himself to Panini boxes worth £600 each.

Warehouse bosses checked stock and realised stickers were consistently going missing. They saw Ankers on CCTV footage.

At an earlier hearing the Crown Prosecution Service said the quantity taken was worth £12,000, but at the latest hearing dropped this to under £6,000.

Ankers told the court he was sorry and that he had been stupid. He was sacked following the theft.

The case was adjourned until January 12.