A third man has been sentenced for his part in a burglary in Yatton Keynell last month.

Luke Hales, 20, from Oddingley Road, Birmingham, switched his plea to guilty at Swindon Crown Court yesterday and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Stephen Rosindale, 29, from Dagnall Road, Birmingham, and Michael Nelson, 25, from Tavistock Road, Birmingham, had already pleaded guilty to burglary at an earlier hearing this month.

Rosindale was recalled to prison on an earlier eight-year sentence imposed for robbery and burglary and given a further 20 months.

Michael Nelson was sentenced to two years and 146 days.

The three men travelled to Yatton Keynell on Monday, December 9, and ransacked a house in the village stealing items including jewellery and laptop computers worth close to £7,500, some of which had been Christmas presents wrapped up under the tree.

Police dogs and the police helicopter were used during the search for the men who were all arrested in Malmesbury later that day following information received from local residents.

Detective Constable Jo Chesshire, from the Priority Crime Team (PCT) in Melksham, said: "These men had a clear agenda and travelled to Wiltshire with one thought in mind.

"What they didn’t expect was just how vigilant our public are.

!We responded quickly to initial reports and because of the fantastic co-operation of members of the community we were able to locate and arrest those responsible.

"This case sends a clear message that whilst we are a rural county, we are not an easy target.

"The close working relationship we have with our communities means we can quickly react to information received and utilise resources available to get results."