A 46-year-old Wymondham man has been ordered to complete 150 hours of community work in the next year after pleading guilty to receiving almost �10,000 worth of stolen spark plugs.

Tony Childerhouse, of Sheffield Road, Wymondham, admitted to receiving the GE Jenbacher specialist spark plugs from two men at a pub in Spixworth, north of Norwich.

A box of four of the spark plugs would cost around �1,400 through trade prices but, in mitigation, James Burrows said Childerhouse bought the spark plugs for around �200 a box and then sold them on internet auction site, Ebay.

Prosecuting solicitor, Denis King, said Childerhouse received a total of �9,996 worth of the spark plugs and made a profit in the region of �2,600 by selling them on.

The spark plugs had no serial numbers on so have not been able to be traced but a staff member at CLP Envirogas - which has sites at Snetterton, Feltwell and Beetley in Norfolk - spotted an Ebay user selling the spark plugs.

That user turned out to be Childerhouse, who worked for CLP Envirogas until November 2010, which stocks the spark plugs.

Childerhouse admitted to receiving the stolen goods at Norwich Magistrates Court on Wednesday and was given the 150 hours of community work and ordered to pay �85 costs by district judge, Peter Veits.

Mr Veits added: 'I'm not going to order any compensation as I can't be satisfied with the amount the company has lost.'