A pair of thieves who targeted vans parked at hotels across Kent, stealing their tools, have been jailed.

Duo Bill Scamp, 51, and John McDonagh, 27, used vehicles with cloned number plates to travel around the county and breaking into people's work vans during a nine month crime spree.

The pair, both of Luton Road, Chatham, targeted Dartford, Gravesend, Medway, Ramsgate, Fawkham, Wrotham and Sevenoaks between August 2018 and April.

However, CCTV and evidence of their own movements linked them to the crimes and, once arrested, they were found to be in possession of several stolen items.

Both were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday.

Scamp was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison, while McDonagh was handed one year and nine months.

DC Billie-Louise Keane, who was in charged of the case, said: "For nine months Scamp and McDonagh went on a crime spree targeting innocent tradespeople. This stolen equipment would have been built up over many years and would be essential to a workman’s livelihood.

"I am pleased that we were able to recover and return a number of these valuable tools to their owners and that the criminals who stole them are now rightly behind bars."

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