A TEAM of burglars who targeted Coral betting shops in three counties was jailed yesterday.

The gang carried out 19 raids in 15 months on Coral betting shops in Teesside, Durham and North Yorkshire.

They disabled alarms and stole safes holding more than £30,000 and took television screens.

They caused loss and damage totalling £91,661, said Matthew Bean, prosecuting.

The attacks took place at Coral betting shops in Ingleby Barwick, Stockton, Thornaby, Hartlepool, Peterlee, Durham City, Blackhall Colliery and Scarborough.

Two of the ringleaders, Robert Foster, 21, and Paul Cox, 30, were arrested and sentenced to community service by courts, but they continued to wage the burglary blitz on Coral, Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday.

They were both arrested on five occasions and released on bail, and they were spotted on CCTV "casing"

one betting shop, added Mr Bean.

He said: "Foster and Cox were repeatedly spoken to by police officers and went on to continue to take part in the conspiracy."

The pair recruited Antony McAndrew, 20, and Dean Pringle, 23, to act as drivers and lookouts.

The gang made several attacks on Coral shops in Hartlepool, and their biggest haul was £6,000 from Scarborough.

Roger Moore, defending Foster, said that they had never used violence.

When they were disturbed during raids they walked away to avoid any confrontation.

Paul Cleasby, defending Cox, said they knew they would find cash at Coral shops and they avoided any violent confrontation or threats. He said that Cox was perfectly capable of working and leading a law-abiding and industrious existence.

Judge Les Spittle told Cox and Foster: "These were planned raids over a substantial period of time targeting specific Coral bookmakers for obvious reasons.

"You were persistent, even when you were repeatedly arrested by the police and bailed.

"You did not do it for nothing and you got something out of it."

They all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglaries between November 18, 2005, and May 11 this year.

Cox, of Oakerside Drive, Peterlee, and Foster, of Ninth Street, Blackhall Colliery, were both jailed for four-and-a-half years.

McAndrew, of The Elms, High Hesleden, was jailed for two years and Pringle, of Little Eden, Peterlee, was jailed for 12 months.