A man who spent the day cleaning his new car found it had been stolen off his drive when he woke the following morning.

Blackburn Magistrates' Court heard how later that day police discovered Thomas McAleese asleep in the vehicle, a Volkswagen Touran.

McAleese, 38, of Ridgeway Avenue, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to vehicle interference between April 15 and 16.

He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 costs and £26 victim surcharge.

Bilal Saeed, prosecuting, said the car owner had been cleaning his new car on the day he bought it and told police he may have left the keys in the ignition.

“The morning after it had gone and at 11pm that night the defendant was found asleep in the vehicle,” said Mr Saeed.

“There was nothing to link the defendant with the taking of the car.”

Leigh Morgan, mitigating, said her client knew nothing about the removal of the car from the owner’s drive.

When police found McAleese in the car they also found some drug paraphernalia.

“To his credit, he has been out of trouble for six years and is engaging with the drug agencies,” said Miss Leigh.