A MAN was jailed for three and a half years yesterday after admitting to house burglaries.

Peter James Edwards, 20, of North Park, Billingham, appeared at Teesside Crown Court charged with three burglaries and one attempted burglary in the Eston area. Five other similar offences were taken into consideration.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, told the court the heroin addict broke into one house on May 16, last year, in Tawney Road, Eston.

Mr Baker said Edwards had stolen £3,385 of jewellery and electrical goods after forcing his way through the back door.

In another break-in, last March, he broke into a house in Meadowfield, this time stealing jewellery and electrical equipment worth £3,440.

Mr Baker told the court that Edwards had been sentenced to two years in 1999, and was released on license. Because he had committed these offences during his license period, he still had six months un-expired sentence to serve.

David Lamb, defending, offered no mitigation as the defendant accepted the sentence.