A WOMAN who stole £30 of staff tips from Bizzie Lizzies in Skipton has been handed a community order with curfew.

Donna Marie Hardy, 39, was traced after CCTV images released by the police sparked a call from a Keighley shopkeeper who recognised her, Skipton magistrates heard yesterday.

Hardy, of Douglas Crescent, Windhill, Shipley, went into the Swadford Street fish restaurant twice, on both times distracting the manager before emptying the tips tray, the court was told.

On September 11 she took £20 and two days later, she returned with a woman and child and emptied the tray of £10 while the manager had gone to get a glass of water for the child.

Hardy admitted the thefts when interviewed by police and asked for her apologies to be passed on to the staff at Bizzie Lizzies, the court was told.

Hardy, who had a number of previous convictions had received a suspended prison sentence from Bradford and Keighley magistrates for similar offences which took place after the thefts at Bizzie Lizzies.

In mitigation, Shiraz Hussain it had been a relatively low value theft and that Hardy was full of remorse.

He added her community order was very stringent and that she was progressing very well with her drug and alcohol treatment programme.

Magistrates sentenced her to a 12 month community order with supervision, to run alongside her current order. They also subjected her to to a two month curfew between 7pm and 7am whch takes effect from tomorrow. She will also have to pay compensation to Bizzie Lizzies of £30 and victims surcharge of £60.