Two ''barbaric'' burglars who tied up an elderly couple in their own home and poured boiling water over their heads have had their unduly lenient sentences almost doubled.

In April last year, Kacey Adams, 34, and 33-year-old Daniel Wallace broke into the bungalow of two pensioners in Halstead as they watched TV and knitted clothes for an expected great-grandchild.

The intruders used cable ties to tie up the couple and subjected them to almost two hours of torture to demand the codes to their safes.

Both men admitted aggravated burglary and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

They had earlier been found guilty of conspiracy to murder after a man was shot in the face in a revenge attack.

At Chelmsford Crown Court in April, Adams, of Ilford, and Wallace, of Dagenham, were jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 and a half years before they are eligible to apply for parole.

At the Court of Appeal in London on Thursday, three judges increased the minimum term to 23 years.

Lady Justice Sharp, sitting with Mr Justice Popplewell and Judge Picton, said it was a "quite exceptional case" and the original sentences did not reflect the extreme gravity of the crimes.

The men poured two kettles of boiling water over the 64-year-old woman and threatened to sever her fingers and gouge one of her eyes out.

They poured one kettle over her husband, 66, punched him repeatedly in the face and threatened to cut his ears off.

They made off with around £50,000 before going to Dubai on a spending spree and were arrested on their return with more than £18,000 of luxury goods in their luggage.

In her victim impact statement, the woman who was left permanently disfigured, described her attackers as "barbaric''.

"While no increase in the sentences can take away the trauma they face I hope these increases can go some way to helping the victims in coping and moving forward with their lives" - James Derham

The appeal judges also increased the sentence imposed on 25-year-old Edward Dooley for his part in a drive-by shooting in May 2016, which the victim survived but was left with life-changing injuries.

Dooley, of Romford, was given a 16-year sentence for conspiracy to murder but that was replaced with a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years.

Speaking after the appeal hearing, detective inspector James Derham said: "From the day of the sentences being passed we were determined to appeal them in order for the minimum term to be increased as these incidents were so serious and traumatic for the victims and we wished for the public to be protected from them for as long as possible. I welcome that the judge has increased these sentences.

"The victims have to endure the pain caused by these incidents every day and while no increase in the sentences can take away the trauma they face I hope these increases can go some way to helping the victims in coping and moving forward with their lives."