A thief who stole booze from the same Morrisons branch twice in a week has been given a community order.

Hayley Chichester, 34, was seen on CCTV taking bottles of whisky and a bottle of brandy from the shelves in the Haydon Wick branch on May 9.

Six days later, she was back in the same shop. She took whisky and Malibu but was detained by store staff, who found foil inside her bag – often used by shoplifters to prevent security tags setting off alarms at the shop doors.

She claimed she was homeless and sleeping in a tent.

A month earlier she was arrested in Calne and Chippenham after she was caught stealing alcohol from Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

Prosecutor Emma Charleton told Swindon Magistrates’ Court Chichester had a number of previous convictions for theft. In December she was jailed for four weeks after admitted two offences.

Mark Glendenning, defending, said his client accepted responsibility for the thefts. She had had issues in her personal life. Her grandmother had died two weeks earlier from coronavirus.

Appearing in court via video link from Gablecross police station, Chichester, of Inglesham Road, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft.

She was given a 15-month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days. She must pay £144 compensation.