TWO men who went "skipping" ended up stealing money from a safe.

Blackburn magistrates heard that Roger Bates and Shane Williams broke into a cabin at the Petre Arms waste disposal site where they had gone to salvage items they could repair and sell.

And after ransacking the cabin they found the key to the safe and removed a cash box containing £75.

Bates, 29, of Leicester Road, and Williams, 26, of Whitebirk Road, both Blackburn, pleaded guilty to burglary. They were both made subject to a 12 month community rehabilitation order.

Williams also pleaded guilty to damaging a door belonging to Twin Valley Homes and was ordered to pay £150 compensation.

Silvia Dacre, prosecuting, said the damage offence occurred at the home of Williams' former girlfriend.

Elliot Taylforth, defending Williams, said the burglary had occurred when the men were out "skipping."

"This basically involved rooting through skips looking for items that people have thrown away," said Mr Taylforth. "The burglary was an opportunist offence and had not been pre-planned."

Lesley Halliwell, defending Bates, said he had recently set up as a self-employed mechanic and was trying to make a go of his life.

"While he thought it was reasonable to take rubbish from the skip he accepts it was not reasonable to take money from the safe," she added.