A pub manager has been accused of stealing more than £93,000 in cash from his employers over two years.

Liam Sanders, of Port Rise, Chatham, allegedly siphoned off the huge sum while he was general manager at The Clipper in High Street, Dartford, between 2017 and 2018.

The 32-year-old denies the accusations and is on trial at the Nightingale Court at Mercure Great Danes Hotel in Maidstone.

It comes after Sanders, who was employed at the pub since August 2016, admitted stealing £9,700 from the establishment, which is run by the MFA Group.

Sanders was confronted by directors at a meeting in February 2019 when it was discovered only six out of seven days' takings were being cashed at the bank.

He originally denied the accusations, claiming the bank must have been at fault, but later that day confessed he had taken a day's takings for the first four weeks of the year.

He paid back the full amount - £7,000 in cash the following day and the rest by bank transfer - within two weeks and was immediately sacked.

Following this, a police investigation was launched and more than 40 discrepancies or similar incidents of thousands of pounds of cash not being cashed at the bank were discovered.

Sanders was arrested and charged with fraud.

During the first day of the jury trial, prosecutor Mark Hunsley said more than £93,000 had been stolen from the pub.

He said Sanders was responsible for paying the cash into the bank and the "same pattern" of a day's takings not being taken to the bank had happened for nearly two years.

Mr Hunsley said: "More than £93,000 wasn't paid into the bank account. This follows the same pattern of the week Mr Sanders had responsibility for it.

"Police checked staff rotas and there was no other chance for someone to do this."

The prosecutor said analysis of Mr Sanders' bank accounts found "significant" cash purchases to some holiday companies.

MFA Group's chief executive, Mehdi Afshar, told the court Sanders was in charge of many things at the pub, including stock checks, banking, licensing and recruitment.

He was questioned by defence solicitor John Lyons, who asked whether there was a written procedure for banking cash.

Mr Afshar admitted there just a few lines in the staff handbook but pointed out that staff, including Sanders, would have received emails from the company about such policy and were given a one-to-one induction before they started their first shift.

Mr Afshar, whose MFA Group runs restaurants, bowling alleys and pubs, said upon hearing some takings had gone missing, said he had challenged Sanders over the missing cash.

After originally denying it, Sanders returned from lunch and admitted taking the money to "help his mother", he said.

Mr Lyons questioned Mr Afshar as to how, over two years, more than 40 banking slips which should have been checked were not scrutinised.

He replied that the person in charge of that had been sacked for failing to notice the missing money.

The trial continues.