A burglary gang who were caught after one of their victims discovered them at her Sevenoaks home have been jailed.

Joseph Mahon, 20, from Cambridge, and Teresa Connors, 21, from Essex, were part of a group that targeted more than 100 homes across the UK between March and September 2014, stealing almost £1m worth of cars and property.

They were arrested by police on the A21 at Flimwell, on Tuesday, March 25.

Earlier that day they had been disturbed by the owner of a house they were attempting to burgle in Underriver, Sevenoaks, which resulted in them crashing their car into a locked gate while trying to get away.

Several motorists also later reported seeing it with a smashed rear windscreen overtaking at speed, at one point driving through roadworks and causing workmen to jump out of the way. The car was finally stopped when a driver purposely jack-knifed his lorry to block its path.

Mahon and Connors, who are also believed to have burgled two other homes in White Hart Wood and Garth Road, Sevenoaks, that day, were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary. Mahon was jailed for three years and four months, and Connors for eight months.

The other members of the gang were Connors’ boyfriend Luke Wall, 24, from Essex, Kyle Shillingford, 27, of no fixed address, and Robert Butler, 31, from Essex.

Wall, who Judge John Devaux described as being the leader and who police believe fled when the vehicle was stopped on the A21, was jailed for eight years. Shillingford received a sentence of two years four months.

Butler, who was the only member to deny conspiracy to commit burglary but was convicted, was jailed for seven years.

The court heard how the gang was involved in 102 burglaries in Kent, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Enfield and Buckinghamshire between March and September 2014.

They stole property including cars, computers and jewellery worth £970,000, of which about £159,000 was recovered.

Wall and Connors wanted to live in a penthouse suite at a hotel in London’s Docklands.

The pair breached bail conditions in relation to burglary offences and went on the run last June.

They were arrested in September last year but continued to burgle while on the run.

Inspector Paul Maleary of Essex Police, who led the investigation, said: "I suspect they probably committed many more.

"Wall in particular showed a blatant disregard for their victims’ feelings as often sentimental items of jewellery were stolen.

"He drove so dangerously on a number of occasions when police attempted to stop him and placed the police and the public in such danger."

"There cannot be a better example of the benefits of forces working together and I congratulate all those officers and staff members that worked so diligently on this."