A repeat burglar crept into a house at night and then stole the owner’s £33,000 car as he slept, a court heard.

But Christopher Anderson was caught out by a tracker on the Audi Q5 which led police to his home.

The 32-year-old scaffolder, of Harrier Way, Beckton, east London, was jailed for three years and four months after he admitted committing two burglaries in Sandringham Road, Gillingham, on the same day in December.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the occupier of the first home woke up in the morning to find his car missing from the drive.

Checks on ANPR cameras showed the car going through the Dartford Crossing at 4.35am along with a Ford Focus registered to Anderson.

Helped by the Audi’s tracker, it was found in a road close to where Anderson lived.

The second victim discovered he had been burgled when a neighbour knocked on his door and gave him a wallet and purse he found in his garden.

A contactless debit card for amounts under £30 had been used in the sums of £26.34, £21.80 and £27.80 in a Tesco in Beckton.

Father-two-be Anderson, a “three strikes” burglar who has served prison sentences, admitted both offences when he appeared by video link with Elmley Prison, Sheppey, on Wednesday.

Timothy Bass, defending, said there was no forensic evidence to link Anderson to the burglaries but he made it clear he wanted to plead guilty.

“He felt very bad about the way it happened,” he said of the car theft break-in. “He is ashamed to have acted in the way he did.

“He has let down his family and his partner. He said he had been a complete idiot. He was roped in to take part. It was foolish and a grave error of judgement.”

Mr Bass added: “Things were going well for him. His partner is two months pregnant. She is devastated. His past offending was in relation to drugs.”

DC Ian Mather said: “Burglary is a terrible crime that has a lasting emotional impact on victims, but by taking a few simple measures we can all reduce the risk of becoming a victim of those who seek to benefit by helping themselves to items that do not belong to them.

“Keep keys, cash and expensive items out of view, use timer switches on lights and radios to make your home look occupied, keep gates locked and boundaries secure and lock away bikes, tools and garden items which could be stolen or used to break into your home.”