AN Evesham man took part in a scam which cheated his employers out of thousands of pounds by signing for petrol which was not in his lorry.

Nigel Vernall narrowly escaped a prison sentence after he pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to a charge of conspiracy to defraud.

Vernall, aged 37, of Chestnut Close, Hampton, Evesham, was ordered to do the maximum of 240 hours community punishment work and to pay £5,000 compensation and £800 costs.

Andrew Smith, prosecuting, said Cleansing Services Ltd, which is based in Bedworth, Warwickshire, was not able to put a precise figure on its loss, but it was between £4,000 and £5,000.

Driver Vernall would fill up with fuel at the depot at the start of each week, but then had the use of a BP agency card to get diesel when he needed it.

In July last year one of his managers noticed an irregularity in his claims, which indicated that he was having to buy much larger amounts of fuel than the other drivers.

When he was first challenged by his bosses Vernall said he did not know what they were talking about, but then admitted he had been involved in the conspiracy for about three months, although the charge covered a period from September 2000 to July last year.

The police were called in, and when he was arrested Vernall said it had started after a garage employee offered him cigarettes to sign for more fuel than he actually had.

Tracey Lloyd-Nesling, defending, said Vernall had been approached by both a cashier at the garage and the manager to take part in the scam - and they were making substantially more.

He was later sacked, although he now has another job as a lorry driver and has £1,000 savings, and his marriage broke down after 14 years because of the strain of the case, she added.

Sentencing Vernall, Judge Marten Coates told him: "In the normal course of events it would merit imprisonment because the message should go out to other people involved in such scams that they should put an end to it for their own good."