A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for two years and eleven months after admitting a string of house burglaries and vehicle crimes in Lowestoft last year.

Daniel Edward Smith, of no fixed abode, was charged with two offences of burglary, two of taking a motor vehicle without consent, possession of cannabis and one count of failing to surrender to bail.

He also asked for 12 other offences to be taken into consideration.

His crimes included a burglary at a home in Longden Avenue between November 12 and 13; a house burglary at Colville Road between November 12 and 14, where more than �2,000 of jewellery and electrical equipment was stolen including a 32-inch TV; a burglary of another home in Hawthorn Drive on September 30, and handling stolen goods in relation to stolen number-plates.

He also admitted a burglary at a garage at Langley Gardens on Sunday, November 7, where a lawnmower was stolen, break-ins at three sheds on allotments at Stradbroke Road between November 8 and 11, the theft of a Ford Fiesta from Laxfield Way overnight November 10-11, interference with a motor vehicle at Denton Drive in the early hours of Thursday, November 11 and attempted theft from a Fiat Punto in Aldwyck Way on the same morning, as well as several other vehicle crime offences.

Police say Smith was one of a number of burglars active in Lowestoft in the past year who have now been dealt with and given lengthy jail terms. He co-operated with police under Operation Converter – an initiative that encourages offenders to admit their crimes in order to give victims some peace of mind.

Det Insp Darrell Skuse, head of Lowestoft CID, said he was pleased with the sentencing.

'House burglaries were a real problem in Lowestoft in the autumn and winter of 2010 and officers carried out a lot of work to catch those responsible for these crimes, including high profile uniformed and plain clothes patrols, detective work behind the scenes and forensic analysis,' he said. 'Over the past few months we have seen a number of prolific burglars jailed and work continues to bring others to justice.

'Individuals like Smith caused a huge amount of distress, anxiety and inconvenience to residents and we are pleased that the judge has taken this into account when sentencing.'