A DISCARDED woolly hat helped bring down a six-strong gang responsible for a crime spree across northern England, a court heard.

The Manchester-based gang targeted shops and garages across County Durham, Cumbria and North Wales, stealing £50,000 worth of mobile phones, cash, cigarettes and a £25,000 Mercedes.

On November 29, 2013, the thieves rounded off a “night of prolific activity” with an early morning raid on a Martin McColls store in Newton Aycliffe when £10,000 worth of cigarettes were stolen.

Today (Thursday, February 19), Carlisle Crown Court heard how a woolly hat captured on CCTV during the incident at the Parsons Centre store provided crucial evidence for police.

The hat was thrown away by gang member Ryan Dunwoody, 29, while fleeing the scene of an attempted burglary at an Asda store in Rhyl, North Wales, on December 3.

Tim Evans, prosecuting, said: "One of them - Dunwoody - ran rather dramatically into the sea, colourfully discarding property and making florid comments about how he would not be arrested and wanted to die."

Dunwoody and fellow gang members Paul Vasey, 26, Lee Reilly, 32, Ryan Day, 27, Mark Wallwork, 23, and Nico Logan, 21, admitted charges of conspiring to commit burglaries in October and November 2013.

At the sentencing hearing in front of Judge Paul Batty QC, Mr Evans said police forces from English, Scottish and Welsh forces had worked together on this “far reaching and exceptionally thorough investigation”.

He highlighted damning mobile phone cell data which placed the thieves at or near the crime scenes.

Mr Evans also described how "happily for the police - but less happily for the burglars" a sat nav fitted to an Audi stolen by the gang was used to chart the movements of their vehicles between offence locations.

He said holiday parks in Dumfries and Galloway had been used as bases for the crime spree, which began on October 25 when £2,500 worth of cigarettes were stolen during a burglary at Hills service station, Kingstown Road, Carlisle.

Two days later, telephone wires at a nearby Carphone Warehouse outlet were cut to disable an alarm system, and £50,000 worth of mobile phones were taken.

The same method was used to gain entry to Ulverston's Co-op store during the early hours of November 22, when thieves made off with £600 cash.

On November 29, prior to the Newton Aycliffe incident, the gang targeted Carlisle's Carphone Warehouse again, although no entry was gained, and alarm systems were tampered with at the city's Rex bingo hall in Denton Holme, a Spar shop and One Stop Store, both Newtown Road, and a Co-op in the Stonegarth area.

Wallwork also broke into a house at Turnstone Park and stole a £25,000 Mercedes, which was never recovered.

At about 3.20am, gang members tried to smash their way into a filling station shop at Penrith's Morrisons store. A cigarette display was targeted but no property stolen.

Mr. Evans said: "The professionalism of the team is shown by how quickly they were able to move from one site to another that night without ever attracting attention whilst at the premises.

“The evidence shows offences separated by as little as 15 minutes."

The hearing is due to conclude on Thursday, February 26.