A TRIO of thieves admitted stealing almost £13,000 in food and alcohol including bottles of Dom Perignon champagne from their work.

Zija Kazia, Dickson Tapa and Keszthelyi Zsolt each pleaded guilty yesterday (Tuesday) at Oxford Magistrates' Court to one count of theft from food distribution firm Chef Direct in Basil Hill Road, Didcot.

The court heard 48-year-old Zsolt, who was a delivery driver for the company, moved food and alcohol from his lorry to an Audi driven by Kazia, 38, and a BMW registered to Tapa, 32, in the town on October 26 last year.

When the Audi was stopped by police they found it laden with cardboard boxes full of the stolen goods.

Officers later went to Tapa's home in Territorial Way, Oxford, where they found more boxes of food and alcohol.

They also recovered £6,500 in cash from Tapa.

At Zsolt's home in Atwell Close Wallingford a further £30,000 in cash was found by police.

Matthew Knight, prosecuting, said the total amount of the goods taken by the three men totalled £12,901.71 and said the fact they had stolen from their employer was "an obvious breach of trust."

Mr Knight added that Kazia, of Cowley Road, Oxford had a number of motoring offences on his record along with a conviction for a violent offence in 2012.

He said Zsolt had no previous convictions while Tapa had a conviction for unrelated motoring offences.

Bench chairman David Kinchin granted all three men bail.

They are due to be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on June 30.