TWO burglars who snatched £7,000 worth of designer clothes from a store were caught before they could ride off on their bikes.

Hostel residents Lee Geldard and Peter Ludgate, who both have previous burglary convictions, were caught red-handed by police after triggering an alarm.

Geldard, 35, was stopped as he tried to pedal off on a bicycle with a large holdall full of clothes, while 34- year-old Ludgate, was cornered by officers after fleeing into a yard, said John Gillette, prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court.

The pair, who admitted burglary and theft, were spared jail yesterday.

The court was told the pair had climbed a ladder and scaffolding on a neighbouring building at midnight and got into Leggs, in Skinnergate, Darlington, through an upstairs window.

They claimed they were tipped off to the theft opportunity by others who had earlier raided the store.

Geldard was in breach of a prison licence from a fouryear burglary sentence and had 30 convictions for burglary and attempted burglary dating back 20 years.

Ludgate, who had also been jailed before, had 116 offences recorded against him, including eight for burglary.

Kieron Rainey, mitigating, said Geldard, had been a heroin addict for more than 20 years, had voluntarily sought treatment but had recently lapsed after receiving job rejections.

“He has had custodial sentence after custodial sentence, and none of that has worked,” he said.

Graham Silvester, for Ludgate, said his client would also benefit from assistance.

The judge, Recorder Paul Sloan, said: “You were caught red-handed as you emerged from the premises, with the clothing that you had taken and two bicycles that you had intended to ride away from the scene.

“Substance abuse lies behind much, if not all of your offending, and breaking the cycle of addiction would benefit you and the community at large.”

Geldard, of Dinsdale Crescent, Darlington, was given a 12-month community order with supervision and drug rehabilitation and a Thinking Skills programme and ordered to pay £100 costs.

Ludgate, of Grange Road, Darlington, was given a nine-month community order with supervision, alcohol treatment for six months and was ordered to pay £100 costs.