People have been warned they could be charged with theft after a shopper was convicted of pocketing a forgotten £20 note she found in a shop.

CCTV captured the moment Nicole Bailey picked up the cash that was left behind by a customer who withdrew it at a One Stop convenience store.

The 23-year-old didn't know who the money belonged to and left the store with it.

But she was charged with theft by police after the man who withdrew the cash realised he had lost it and complained to staff at the store, the Stoke Sentinel reports.

Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard the cash had been withdrawn shortly before it was pocketed by Bailey at the shop in Nashe Drive in Blurton, Staffordshire.

Prosecutor Ruth Bentley said: "Staff checked the CCTV which showed a female pick up the £20 note from a display in the store.

"The manager recognised the woman, who was a regular customer."

The court heard police were called in and Bailey, of Highfield Drive, Blurton, attended a voluntary interview.

She initially denied taking it, but admitted it when she was shown the CCTV footage.

Bailey, who has no previous convictions, went on to plead guilty to theft.

Simon Dykes, mitigating, said the matter ought to have been dealt with by a police caution and stayed out of court.

He said: "She didn't know who the money belonged to.

"People don't realise picking up something you have found amounts to a theft. She has been quite naïve in doing so."

Magistrates handed Bailey a six-month conditional discharge, meaning she will face no punishment if she remains out of trouble for the next six months.

She must also pay a total of £175 in court costs and charges.

Staffordshire Police Chief Inspector Karen Stevenson said the definition of theft was "the dishonest appropriation of property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it".

She said: "We would actively encourage any member of the public who picks up money that has been dropped to be honest and do the right thing by taking all reasonable steps to try and find the owner."