Two thieves have been jailed after they were caught with copper wiring stolen from a rural site near Canterbury.

Jack Strover and Ambrose Hilden were tracked down by police after taking the metal from an industrial premises on January 28.

Strover's first offences were committed on November 26, when he was seen filing up petrol cans with more than 100 litres of diesel at a service station near Sittingbourne, before driving off without paying.

Checks on the car found it was using stolen plates and Strover was identified as the driver from CCTV, partly through distinctive tattoos on his hands.

Police investigating the incident then also linked Strover to a Nissan X-Trail which towed away a trailer during a theft in Faversham Road, Kennington, on January 11.

On January 28, Strover and Hilden were arrested after officers attended a report of a theft at a site in Pennypot Lane near Waltham, outside Canterbury.

They were both found in a car with the stolen heavy-duty wiring, which they claimed had been "found in the woods".

On June 25, they were sentenced for a charge of burglary at Canterbury Crown Court.

Hilden, of Crundale Close, Ashford, was jailed for a year and two months.

Strover, formerly of Clockhouse, Ashford, had also admitted theft, obtaining property by deception and driving offences in relation to previous incidents and was jailed for a year-and-a-half.

DC Michael Kingwell said: "Thefts from sites like that which Strover and Hilden targeted are a blight on our rural communities.

"We are committed to protecting those who live in the countryside and bringing those who target them to justice. I am pleased this investigation has seen two such thieves removed from the streets."

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