A thief targeted white vans in Maidstone stealing £170,000 worth of goods using a tool known as a 'jiggler' key.

Police had become concerned over the number of stolen vehicles – including a tipper – which had been swiped from the area between April and August 2014.

Prosecutor Nina Ellin told Judge Heather Norton: “Sometimes a number of thefts were carried out in one night.

“The vehicles belonged to working men across Kent, which often contained valuable tools or other equipment.”

She said many of the thefts of White Ford vans were done using a “Tibbe” a tool also known as a “Jiggler” key.

Vehicles were targeted in Buckland Road, Westmorland Close, Northumberland Road, Hart Street, Postley Road, all Maidstone; Huntingdon Road, Coxheath,Lunsford Lane, Larkfield, and Castle Road, Allington.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how police had been probing 24 thefts or attempted thefts of transit vans and tipper lorries during that period.

Ms Ellin revealed that in Maidstone, Medway and Ashford, 52 similar incidents had been recorded between March and November 2014.

James Steel, 31, now of The Beeches, Godmersham but formerly Riverdale Road, Ashford, admitted 12 offences of thefts and attempted thefts and was jailed for a total of 44 months.

The cheeky thief shouted out to the judge: “How long is that in years?” before being led away to the cells.

His pal, Wayne Byrne, 33, from Dagenham, Essex was jailed for 20 months after admitting five offences involving £42,000 worth of property.

Ms Ellin said police were able to put the men at the scene of the numerous thefts by tracking them through their mobile phone calls.

Steel and Lee Chapman, 25, of Selby Road, Parkwood were also stopped in July 2014 in Ashford in a hired white van with 650 kilos of hand-rolled tobacco.

Both men were convicted of cheating the revenue out of £117,299 in tax and Chapman also pleaded guilty to dealing in drugs – all done in defiance of a suspended sentence. He was jailed for a total of four and a half years.

Ms Ellin told how after being questioned he refused to comment about the tobacco smuggling but claimed a Ipad found in a washing basket belonged to his son and £2,200 in cash was the proceeds of gambling and banger racing.

Chapman, who had been living in Bell Road, Maidstone in November 2014 when he was arrested after police discovered him carrying cocaine and a “tick” list of drug users.

"The cost to the victims was high, especially with the added disruption to business and trade" - DC David Godden

He pleaded not guilty to charges of theft. These charges will remain on file, as he was convicted instead of separate offences relating to the supply of class A drugs and harbouring tobacco, which he admitted. Chapman was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.

A fourth man, Steven Boden, 42, of Bolts Hill, Chartham was given a 12-month community order after admitting a theft of a lighting bar and ordered to remain indoors for the next two months under a curfew.

The judge told Steel and Byrne that many working people were inconvenienced by thefts and some had their livelihoods put at risk.

Detective Constable David Godden of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Steel and Byrne were behind an organised and lucrative crime spree with others that spanned 10 months and crossed large parts of Kent.

"The cost to the victims was high, especially with the added disruption to business and trade.

"The loss of a vehicle containing tools and equipment can easily place many in debt and even put some out of business.

"We carried out an extensive and thorough investigation, using various techniques and with our partners built a compelling case and these criminals have now been rightly punished for their crimes."