A HOUSE breaker who took a car as part of a burglary and crashed it into a tree abused firefighters as they battled to cut him from the wreckage.

Burnley Crown Court heard John White, 26, of Prospect Road, Rawtenstall, suffered a broken leg and may not walk without crutches for 18 months.

The defendant was jailed for four and a half years by Judge Raymond Bennett who said his injuries were his own fault. The judge added White, who had 22 previous convictions for raiding property, was a "regular, repetitive," and perhaps professional burglar and went armed with the equipment to carry away his hauls.

White was also banned from driving for 12 months. He had admitted burglary charges and aggravated vehicle taking and was committed for sentence by magistrates after being convicted of some of the offences.

Mark Lamberty, prosecuting, said the defendant was traced to one burglary after the victim, a retired police officer, struck him on the nose with a torch and he ended up bleeding. Police were able to trace White who said he had been "off his head," on drink at the time.

The defendant also struck at the Craven Heifer pub in Rawtenstall after the landlord retired to bed, although he left empty handed after he broke a window and the alarm went off.

Mr Lamberty said White broke into a house in Rawtenstall at 4.45am as the retired occupants were in bed. The householder saw a figure running down the hall and out of the front door and gave chase but the defendant got away with a wallet containing £30. The final victim found his front door open at 5am, discovered a knife which was not his and contacted police. By the time officers arrived, he saw his car go down the road and officers followed.

White then smashed into a tree and had to be cut free. He was later linked to three of the burglaries through his finger prints.

Philip Holden, defending, said White may now have had the shock needed to stop him from the habitual cycle of offending.