An employee at a Whitchurch store is alleged to be one of eight women involved in an estimated £40,000 fraud by the repeated use of customer discount coupons, a court heard.

Michelle Carson, 43, denies being part of the conspiracy while working at the Co-op store in Wrexham Road two years ago.

A jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court has heard that seven other women have admitted their role in the fraud which happened between January and December, 2016.

Carson, of Wrexham Road, denies conspiring to commit fraud by abuse of her position as an employee.

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the defendant was part of the fraud which involved the misuse of member discount coupons.

He said the fraud was estimated at between £30,000 and £40,000 at the store, which for its size, would normally scan about £1,000 worth of coupons a year.

The jury was told that the same coupons had been scanned repeatedly, and in some cases had been laminated, when they should have been destroyed.

"Carson and all the others were employees of the Co-op and by being employees they had a duty and to fulfil their contract of employment and in this case they were abusing that position," said Mr Jones.

He said the defendant and the others were re-using the discount coupons over, and over, and over again.

"It was dishonest and abused their position of trust," he said.

Mr Jones said that once a coupon was scanned it should have been binned, but in some instances the coupons had been laminated and used repeatedly.

Suspicions were raised in November 2016 and the Co-op identified three employees in particular who repeatedly used coupons.

It was usual for about £100 worth of coupons to be scanned in a week at the store but by the end of the year more than £40,000 worth of member coupons had been used, of which £30,000 worth had been duplicated.

The court heard that Carson was interviewed and said it was nothing to do with her and claimed other people must have logged in on her till.

Mr Jones alleged that she was part of the agreement and she was abusing her position of trust..

"She wasn't spending for herself but when members of staff went to Carson, she would scan, and multiple scan coupons knowing it was against company policy," he claimed.

Mr Jones alleged that there was no need to use other people's tills and that, not only did the defendant allow this to happen, she was part of the conspiracy.

In November 2016 area manager John Rose visited the store under the pretext of a health and safety audit when coupons were found during a search of staff members' bags.

The trial continues.