A prolific thief has been banned from entering Hucknall town centre after being jailed for a string of offences.

Justin Lamb, aged 23, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (8 February) where he pleaded guilty to five recent theft offences.

Lamb was wanted by police after stealing large amounts of food from a supermarket in Ashgate Road, Hucknall, on Wednesday 11 January and Friday 13 January this year.

He also stole meat from another shop in Coppice Road, Arnold, on Wednesday 4 January, and took a mobile phone from a parked car in Hucknall on Thursday 12 January.

After admitting to the offences, he was jailed for 20 weeks. He was also made the subject of the Criminal Behaviour Order which will ban him from entering Hucknall for a period of two years.

The order was secured by police as a result of Lamb's multiple previous thefts in the local area.

He was identified by officers and arrested at his home in Broomhill Road, Hucknall, just 24 hours before his sentence on Tuesday.

Arrested alongside him was 33-year-old Luke Monte who was caught on camera with Lamb stealing from the shop in Arnold on 4 January.

Monte, also of Broomhill Road, pleaded guilty to that theft, and also to stealing a pair of jogging bottoms from a sports shop in Netherfield on Saturday 17 December.

He was handed a four-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete a 12-month drug rehabilitation programme.

He was also instructed to pay compensation of £105 and costs of £50.

Inspector Jon Hewitt, district commander for Ashfield, said: "Shop thefts of this nature are a blight on the whole community and won't be tolerated by Nottinghamshire Police.

"These kinds of offences bring significant costs to businesses, cause great upset to shop staff and can put prices up for all of us.

"If people are stealing to fund addictions, then we will work with our partners to ensure they get the help they need, but they should be under no illusion that they will be severely punished.

"Repeat offenders may also be targeted by Criminal Behaviour Orders, which tightly restrict what they can do and where.

"Any breaches of these orders will likely lead to an immediate return to prison. These are a very effective tools for us and we are currently working to secure more of them.

"Hucknall is a great place to live and work and we are working hard to keep it that way."