A JUDGE said residents in Nelson may now sleep a little more safely in their beds after one of its long-time criminals was put behind bars.

Drug addict Jason Davies, 29, who struck at a home and nine commercial premises and has a lengthy criminal record, was jailed for four years at Burnley Crown Court.

Sentencing him, Judge Lesley Newton said he had been released from custody last December, was still on licence, but by March was out raiding again.

She accepted he had tried to put his life in order but said he had an appalling record. She added: "The residents of Nelson are entitled to be protected from what is now repeated offending."

Davies, of Castle Street, Nelson, who admitted burglary, had been committed for sentence by magistrates after being convicted of burglary. He asked for eight offences to be considered.

John O'Shea, prosecuting, said one victim got up at 3am to go to work, saw two people outside his home and later was told his home had been burgled.

Property worth more than £1,000 had been taken and the defendant was spotted coming out of a back yard by police.

He ran off, dropped the stolen haul to the ground and was chased and detained after a short struggle. The defendant later told officers he had gone into the yard to take amphetamine.

Davies also targeted an industrial unit and helped himself to property worth about £1,000. He told police he sold it for £600.

Tim Storrie, defending, said Davies knew the court would pass a lengthy term of imprisonment. He may continue to present a risk to the community.

He knew the house burglary victim was not at home so there was no danger of confrontation with the occupier. Even after all the years Davies had been offending, there was perhaps hope that things would change. The defendant had lost years spent in custody and in the grip of addiction to hard drugs.

He had no education to speak of, had had no ambitions of a career and had been taking drugs for 15 years. He had stopped taking heroin two years ago, but had tried to deal with it by taking amphetamine..

Mr Storrie said the defendant at times had been able to control himself and had worked and found a girlfriend.

He added: "These are small successes for many people but for him they are Everests that he has climbed."

Mr Storrie said the defendant had found it difficult to keep away from his peer group and urged the court not to pass a sentence which would dash Davies's hopes for the future.