A man from Ashford has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to a spate of shoplifting offences across the home counties.

21 year old John Ward admitted to more than 20 incidents between June last year and the start of this year.

He targeted Boots, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Co-op stores across Surrey, Thames Valley, Kent and also Cleveland, Cheshire and Durham,

Ward stole in excess of £60,000 worth of nicotine, healthcare and cosmetic products.

In January of this year, Boots Intelligence Hub reported 19 incidents to Surrey Police which they believed to be connected.

Investigating Officer, PC Annalise Ware said: “We know shoplifting has a significant impact on businesses and can leave shop staff feeling fearful and vulnerable. It is a priority for us to robustly pursue any offenders and get them before the courts. We know that incidents often go unreported – especially for lower value goods – but we encourage any businesses to report because it helps us to build an information and intelligence picture which, in cases like this, have allowed us to charge and sentence Ward for multiple offences. I hope this outcome reassures our communities that we are committed to tackling this crime and how we are working in partnership with retailers in order to do so.”