TEEN yobs have admitted breaking into one town centre pub and trying to burgle a second on the same night.

Three juveniles caused damage when they targeted the Spinning Mule and The Bar, both in Nelson Square, on October 20.

The defendants - who cannot be named for legal reasons on account of their age - all admitted burglary and attempted burglary at Bolton Youth Court today.

One of them went on to smash his way into Smokers Exit in Knowsley Street, in Bolton town centre, on Thursday, October 30, and steal goods and money.

Prosecutor Mark Andrews told the magistrates: "These are two licensed premises - pubs - in Bolton.

"Both offences occurred on the same evening in the early hours of Tuesday October 20.

"The Crown say all three were working together in joint enterprise."

Mr Andrews said: "The Crown say initially in the early hours of the morning all were at the rear of the Spinning Mule licensed premises smashing a skylight window - five out of 14 panes in total - to get in.

"They have not in fact enter the public house so they go to the fire exit and [two] have tried to pull on the door.

"They couldn't gain access and have left the premises."

Mr Andrews said the juveniles merely went around the corner to The Bar and used an unspecified implement to smash a window.

He said: "Two have entered the premises and the alarm has sounded.

"They all returned to the same licensed premises a short time later and then entered the bar area and removed around six bottles of alcohol."

The boys fled with the vodka bottles, worth £90, but were caught on CCTV at both venues. 

Police later identified the teenagers - two aged 16 and one aged 17 - from the footage and made arrests.

One of the younger defendants admitted at the same hearing yesterday two counts of theft from a motor vehicle in relation to stealing gym equipment including a yoga mat and a TomTom sat nav device, a radio fascia and gym clothing, worth a combined £300, from the same Nissan parked in Bolton on October 29.

He admitted attempting to possess MDMA on October 31, when arresting officers found two bags of brown drugs at his home, and admitted burglary on October 30 of Smokers Exit in which he got away with e-cigarette merchandise and cash to a total value of £2,000.

Mr Andrews said: "Mr Patel, the owner, left the store secure over night and received a phone call in the early hours of the morning to say his shop has been broken in to.

"He finds the shop window smashed and kicked through and various e-cigarettes removed from his shop."

Bolton Youth Court adjourned the case for sentencing until November 25 and order pre-sentence reports to be compiled on all three defendants.

The 17-year-old and the 16-year-old who each pleaded guilty to just the two offences each were granted unconditional bail.

The 16-year-old who pleaded guilty to six offences was granted bail again with conditions of residence, cooperation with the Youth Offending Team and a 7pm to 7am electronically-monitored curfew. 

An adult defendant is due at Bolton Magistrates' Court on November 24 accused of the two bar burglaries, the court heard.

A JD Wetherspoon spokesman said: "We are pleased that those responsible for the attempted burglary have been brought to justice.

"Although they were unable to gain access to the pub, they caused damage  which had to be attended to."