A MAN was so fed up of being repeatedly targeted by burglars that he set up a closed circuit TV system in his Blackburn home -- and caught one of his neighbours stealing.

Father-of-two John Deary, 30, claims more than seven burglaries in his home over the past few years have cost him £10,000.

He installed a simple CCTV system for £100 to protect his property.

And he could not believe his eyes when he saw his neighbour of 15 years, Robert Farrington, on camera helping himself to games and unplugging electrical equipment, Blackburn magistrates were told. Around £700-worth of videos and compact discs were stolen.

The 24-year-old of Gloucester Road, Blackburn, was committed in custody to Preston Crown Court for sentence after pleading guilty to burglary at the house in Gloucester Road and another burglary at a house in Devon Road.

After the case, John, who has two children Tara, 3 and Kyle, 5, said: "It was getting to the stage that I was getting robbed that many times it was ridiculous and I had to do something. I was totally fed up with it."

He put the camera on when he went out and when he returned he saw the front door was open and a rear window had been smashed.

He said: "I couldn't believe it when I came back to see someone I knew stuffing things in a bag. He was rummaging through everything and just helping himself."

The tape was given to the police who said it was a vital piece of evidence.

Detective Inspector Andrea Barrow today said: "To catch him on CCTV was excellent and to have such brilliant evidence really assists us in our job."

John added said: "It helps them do their job because these days, its hard for them to prove crimes unless they are caught red-handed. When I realised it was him I was pleased. With young children it makes you feel uneasy to think that you are getting burgled regularly. I often slept downstairs because I feared for our safety."

The CCTV system operates from one concealed camera in the house and is hooked up to a video.

When Farrington was arrested he claimed to have no recollection of the incident because he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Kevin Preston, defending, said his client accepted that a custodial sentence was inevitable but asked the magistrates to consider that their powers of punishment were sufficient.