A group of phone thieves who were caught within an hour of robbing a shop have been jailed for nearly 10 years.

The balaclava-clad gang stole £30,000 worth of of phones and tablets after targeting the EE store in Bligh’s Walk, Sevenoaks, at around 4pm on November 3.

Lucian Nicolaie, Eduard Nicolaie and Rinaldo Nicolaie and Marian Petre entered the shop and ordered staff to sit and remain silent, while an internal door was kicked open and the stock room ransacked.

The men then fled in a getaway car but were seen by witnesses who called 999 and were able to provide details to police including the car’s registration plate.

The Audi A5 was quickly identified and tracked by patrols to the M25, where it was travelling in the direction of the Dartford Crossing.

It was stopped at around 4.30pm on the Essex side and all four men were arrested.

Searches of the Audi led to the recovery of the stolen items. The criminals’ balaclavas were also seized.

Eduard Nicolaie, 36, and Lucian Nicolaie, 21, both of St Awdry’s Road, Barking, Essex pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to counts of robbery and burglary.

On Friday, May 5, they were each jailed for three years.

While Rinaldo Nicolaie, 20, of St Awdry’s Road, Barking, admitted the same offences and was sentenced to three years and three months at a young offender institution.

Marian Petre, 23, of Hall Road, East Ham, London, admitted to the robbery and received a 22-month sentence, which was suspended.

Petre was ordered to complete 100 hours’ unpaid work, within a year.

Lead investigator DC Matt Thomas said: “This was a planned and targeted robbery where all four offenders acted together, each having a specific role.

“Their aggressive and threatening actions left staff in genuine fear for their safety. The evidence was thankfully overwhelming, leaving these men no choice but to plead guilty.

“I would like to thank and commend the witnesses whose quick thinking provided crucial information to help us identify and catch them in such a short space of time.”