A double glazing salesman who kept tens of thousands of pounds which should have gone to the taxman has been spared jail.

Mark Coates failed to declare the true figures on his self assessment forms dodging more than £20,000 due to the state.

The 30-year-old, who works for Safestyle Windows, was caught when tax inspectors investigated the firm in 2015, a court was told.

And when his self assessment returns were examined it was initially thought that he had failed to hand over about £80,000 over the previous eight years.

But after forensic accountants, for both defence and prosecution, had gone through the paperwork it was found to be in the region of £21,500.

Coates, of Damson Path, Taw Hill, initially pleaded not guilty to one count of cheating the public revenue when he appeared before a judge in February last year.

But before a jury could be sworn in on the day of trial he changed his plea to admit what he had done, but at a lower level.

Neil Treharne, defending, said that his client accepted that he had 'chaotic accounts' and was paid 'in a sporadic way' by his employers.

Some of the paperwork he hoped to put forward he said had been destroyed at a fire at work.

"These matters came to light as the Revenue were examining Safestyle," he told the court.

He said that there had been incentive schemes his client set up for canvassers where he also gave them loans which affected his accounts.

At the same time he said that he was being put under pressure by Safestyle Windows to increase sales.

He said that his client is now managing a sales team for the firm who are thinking of putting him on to PAYE, meaning he won't have to keep filling in tax returns.

Mr Treharne said that his client had children aged six and nine years old and has a large mortgage and other debts.

He said he sometimes works a 60 hour week, including two nights, and so will miss time with his family if he is ordered to do unpaid work.

Passing sentence Judge Tim Mousley QC said "You have pleaded guilty today to a single charge of cheating the Revenue.

"Your fraudulent activity towards Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs resulted in your dishonestly obtaining at most a sum in the region of £21,000.

"What makes you offending serious is you carried it on for a substantial period of time.

"You submitted fraudulent tax returns which did not reveal the true extent of the expenses you incurred and you did that over a number of years.

"When you were apprehended you denied that you had acted dishonestly in any way whatsoever.

"It might be said that you are a man of good character but even that mitigation has to be put in the light that this was fraudulent activity over a long period."

He imposed an 18 month jail term suspended for two years and told him, to do 180 hours of unpaid work.

The judge also told him he must pay £4,200 towards the costs of the case.