BRITAIN'S most convicted man is back in prison just three days after being released from his latest sentence.

Blackburn magistrates heard 62 year old Patrick Shaun Ryan has run up 468 convictions for a staggering total of 667 offences.

And the court was told even the shirt off his back was not enough to keep the old lag out of prison this time.

Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said Ryan was caught drinking a bottle of wine in a shop and offered to give the shop assistant his jacket in payment for the tipple.

Ryan, of Highfield House bail hostel, Accrington, pleaded guilty to shoplifting.

He was given a conditional discharge for the offence after the magistrates were told he was being recalled on prison licence which would keep him behind bars until October.

Andrew Nottingham, defending, said his client's record ran to hundreds of pages.

"Clearly it is nothing to be proud of," said Mr Nottingham.

He said Ryan was placed in the bail hostel on his release from prison.

"He is very well known and people were saying hello Paddy, nice to see you come and have a drink with us," said Mr Nottingham.

"One thing lead to another and his discharge grant was soon spent. He tried to use his jacket as payment but they weren't going to accepts that."

Mr Nottingham said the offence had triggered the recall to prison to serve the remaining six months of his previous sentence.