SIX prolific burglars who snatched property worth more than £85,000 in a crime spree across northern England have been jailed.

A woolly hat helped collar the Manchester-based gang, which targeted commercial premises across County Durham, Cumbria and North Wales during late 2013.

Their haul included £10,000 worth of cigarettes snatched by gang member Paul Vesey from a Martin McColls store at Parsons Centre, Newton Aycliffe, on November 29.

They were brought to justice after an extensive investigation by police from English, Scottish and Welsh forces.

A crucial piece of evidence was recovered on December 3 at an Asda store in Rhyl, North Wales, when three men fled after an attempted theft.

A distinctive woolly hat thrown away by gang member Ryan Dunwoody as he ran into the sea in an attempt to escape from police, was matched to a garment seen on CCTV footage from the Newton Aycliffe crime scene.

The burglars were sentenced by Judge Paul Batty QC at Carlisle Crown Court today (Thursday, February 26), having previously pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to commit burglary.

The gang members were: Paul Vesey, 26, sentenced to three years four months; Lee Reilly, 32, (four-and-half years); Ryan Day, 27, (four-and-a-half years); Mark Wallwork, 23, (four-and-a-half years); Ryan Dunwoody, 29, (seven-and-half years); and Nico Logan, 21, (six years, nine months).

Judge Batty told the men: "You are professional criminals. You go as a team, not always together but with a clear criminal purpose.

"I have no doubt that you as a team considered yourselves untouchable by the forces of law and order."

Their crime spree began when £2,500 worth of cigarettes were stolen during a burglary at Hills service station, Kingstown Road, Carlisle, on October 25.

It was followed in the next few days by the theft of £50,000 worth of mobile phones from a nearby Carphone Warehouse outlet and £600 cash from Ulverston's Co-op store.

Several premises were targeted on November 28, including a house at Turnstone Park, in Cumbria, when a £25,000 Mercedes was stolen, It was never recovered.

A victim impact statement provided by the vehicle's owner said the family were left feeling "violated" and "unsafe" following the burglary. It occurred while the partner of the Mercedes owner was pregnant, and the day before his daughter's first birthday.

The court heard that mobile phone cell site analysis placed members in the areas at the times when crimes were committed and sat nav data retrieved from an Audi vehicle used by the gang members mapped their precise movements.

Mitigation was provided by defence barristers for each of the six men, who accepted the prosecution service's version of events. The barristers called on the judge to limit the length of the jail terms imposed.