A burglar who broke into two homes at night while on weekend release from prison has been jailed for five years.

Christopher Anderson, 34, was serving 40 months for similar offences when he and Grant Lewis raided the houses in Sittingbourne and Rainham.

Both were "three strikers" facing a minimum of three years having committed as many domestic break-ins previously.

Lewis, 31, was jailed for three years.

The pair targeted a house in Grove Park Avenue, Sittingbourne, on March 23.

The family discovered the next morning they had been burgled and mobile phones, a tablet, a wallet and cash, with a total value of £1,000, had been stolen.

A similar "creeper burglary" was carried out the same night in Middlefields, Rainham.

A large TV, laptop, wallet, cash and credit cards were taken, valued at a total of £3,000.

Prosecutor Tony Prosser told Maidstone Crown Court the rear doors were “popped” open each time.

Anderson and Lewis were arrested after they went to the Shell garage on Detling Hill and Lewis dumped the empty wallet stolen in the Sittingbourne burglary in a bin.

It was captured on CCTV cameras, along with their hired transit van.

Anderson and Lewis were seen going into the shop at the garage.

The van had a tracker which showed it had been outside the Rainham address for 11 minutes and went onto the Sittingbourne house.

After they were identified it was discovered Anderson was on weekend release from HMP Standford Hill in Eastchurch, Sheppey.

He had been jailed for 40 months on January 11 last year.

Lewis, of Leslie Road, Canning Town, East London, and Anderson, of Harrier Way, East Ham, East London, admitted the burglaries.

Anderson also admitted burgling a house in Barrowfields, Chatham, on May 1 this year and asked for eight similar offences to be considered.

A hired VW Golf he was using when he broke into the Chatham home was caught on automatic number plate recognition cameras.

Anderson, who has previous convictions for 43 offences, stole property worth £450 and caused £650 of damage to doors.

Daniel Benjamin, for Lewis, who has 15 previous court appearances for 29 offences, said the father was disgusted and embarrassed that on one night he reoffended.

Passing sentence, Judge Adele Williams said: “Burglary causes immense distress and trauma to householders.

"Each of you has committed a number of burglaries in the past.

“There is much positive that can be said about you.

"Each of you are concerned about your children.

"You should use your time in custody to resolve not to commit offences in the future and to put your lives in order.”

The judge told Lewis: “It is a tragedy you returned to committing offences.”