Two Bolton men and an accomplice caused £18,000-worth of damage and stole £10,000-worth of stock in a ram raid on an e-bike shop.

Saul Blackley, of Goldrill Avenue, Breightmet, Jordan Buckle, of Dickinson Street, Horwich, and Adam Hodson, of Suffolk Street, Salford, struck at the store in Northwich, Cheshire, in the early hours of August 5 of last year.

Cheshire Police received a call to the e-bike shop and en route to the scene saw a suspicious Volkswagen Crafter van travelling at speed.

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They chased it to the village of Lostock Gralam, where it turned onto a dead-end road before Blackley, Buckle and Hodson fled on foot.

But officers flooded the area and all three men were found in the surrounding gardens. They were arrested and £10,000-worth of stock was recovered.

At Liverpool Crown Court this week, the trio were sentenced to one year in prison. As well as burglary, Blackley was sentenced for possessing cannabis and Buckle and Hodson were sentenced for failing to provide a specimen.

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Detective Constable Claire Heatley, of Cheshire Police, said: "The actions of these three men had a significant impact on the business. Not only did the men steal almost £10,000 worth of stock, but they also caused significant damage to the exterior of building, which resulted in loss of trade and cost almost £18,000 to repair.

"In addition, the business will also be forced to relocate as their landlord refused to renew the lease at the end of the current term because of the burglary.

"Thankfully, all three men have now been held accountable for their actions and all of the stolen items have been recovered and returned.

"I hope that the conclusion of this case will provide some closure to the business owners, and also acts as reassurance to other local residents and businesses, demonstrating how we are committed to doing all we can to tackle burglary.

"I also hope that the sentence acts as a warning to any other criminals planning to come across the border and target Northwich – the message is clear we will be waiting for you and we will get you."