A DRESS agency businesswoman from Bolton attempted to obtain goods on the cheap from a store by switching labels, a court heard.

Claire Smethurst switched the price tags on items so that the value of the goods she took through the check-out at TK Maxx in Rochdale registered around £9 when the true value was £63, Rochdale magistrates were told.

Smethurst, aged 38, of Halliwell Road, Bolton, admitted stealing a chopping board along with cooking oil and a pillow.

Miss Nichola Docker, prosecuting, said the crime was aggravated by the fact that the defendant had three children with her at the time.

However, after hearing that it was five years since Smethurst had been before court when she had then managed to break a severe cycle of drug addiction and offending, the bench decided to treat her leniently by giving her a conditional discharge for 12 months. She was ordered to pay £118 court costs.

Miss Docker said a loss prevention officer on the store's TV monitor had watched Smethurst go to the kitchenware department of the premises, select various items and start to replace the price labels with labels denoting a lower price. She was detained after passing through the check-out.

Miss Docker said Smethurst made a full admission and appeared extremely remorseful, offering to pay the correct price.

On her behalf, Mr Steve Connor said the time lapse between her last offence was significant because Smethurst had broken free from a pattern of offending to fuel drug abuse.

However, there had recently been a split with her partner leaving her clinically depressed and on medication.

"Whether her depression and the medication had played a part I cannot say because she is at a loss to explain why she did what she did.

"For some reason she doesn't know she slipped back and it has left her with a deep regret. I hope this is now the last time she ever appears in court for such an offence," said Mr Connor.

He added that Smethurst had rehabilitated herself to the point where she had started up her own business but that was in its infancy and she was finding it a struggle at the moment.