A 47-year-old man from Devon has appeared in court charged with stealing £78,583 worth of goods from his employer, Plumb Center.

Anthony Clifford-Parry, of Cullompton, indicated a guilty plea to a charge of stealing numerous items of plumbing and heating related goods belonging to the merchant in Exeter between February 2007 and December last year.

“Plumb Center takes the protection of its profits and assets extremely seriously,” said a Plumb Center spokesperson.

“If our rigorous internal processes find evidence of wrongdoing, we will pursue the recovery of goods or their value and if there is a case for criminal investigation and prosecution, we will pass details to the police.”

Clifford-Parry was granted bail and will appear in Exeter Crown Court for sentencing next month.