Kathleen Roberts, 47, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, plundered the accounts of her employers

An accounts manager stole more than £52,000 from her company to buy designer clothes and Nando's chicken.

Kathleen Roberts, 47, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, plundered the accounts of her employers Taylor Business Park in Warrington, Cheshire, over a period of eight years.

She blew the firm's money on her favourite Nando's chicken, buying herself cash vouchers for meals at the restaurant chain, as well as luxury fashion items.

Roberts was jailed for two years at Cheshire Crown Court after being convicted of fraud by abuse of position.

Her former managing director Paul Taylor said he was even more furious at the fraud as Roberts was not in need.

He said: 'To find that an employee that you have trusted for so many years has been stealing from you is devastating.

'PC Mike Luckett helped us take a step back and focus on gathering the required evidence to see this taken to court with such a favourable outcome.'

Roberts, who was an accounts manager for the business, stole a total of £52,155.90 from the company, which lets offices and industrial units.

Mr Taylor said: 'We could have begun to understand Kate's motivation if she had stolen from us out of necessity.

'But then you look at some of the items that she bought with the money - Nando's vouchers, phone top-up cards, sofa beds, garden furniture, handbags and fashionable clothing.

'That said, we're happy to move on from here and draw a line under all of this.'

It was uncovered during the trial that Roberts created false invoices for work that was never carried out on site in order to trick the business accounts.

Councillor Paul Thompson, who represents St Oswald's on Hyndburn Council, said: 'It's a worse crime than robbery.

She blew the firm's money on her favourite Nando's chicken, buying herself cash vouchers for meals at the restaurant chain

An accounts manager stole more than £52,000 from her company to buy designer clothes and Nando's chicken (file photo)

'It's completely despicable and it's bad to hear someone from Oswaldtwistle could give the town such a bad name.

'It was a planned meditated crime and clearly she wasn't even thinking about the consequences.

'It is terrible for the business and people she worked with could have lost their jobs for her greedy actions.

'In my opinion she should have got more than two years.'

PC Mike Luckett added: 'Roberts relied on her position of trust to siphon money from the business.

'I'm sure that her time behind bars will bring home the consequences of her actions.

'I'm pleased to see that all our hard work has resulted in a conviction.