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Three men have been jailed following a string of burglaries across North West England, including Lancashire.

Operation Coliseum was launched to investigate 37 separate burglaries that occurred between January 2021 and April 2022.

Properties in Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales were targeted, with the group stealing cash, jewellery, watches and vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Some of their thefts included jewellery worth £95,000 from an address in Blundellsands and handbags worth £60,000 from a property in Formby.

Three men appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday (December 22) to be sentenced.

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- Adam Hastings, 31, originally from the Netherton area but no fixed abode, was sentenced to ten years and nine months after pleading guilty to 35 separate offences.

- Shaun Rimmer, 29, originally from the Netherton area but no fixed abode, was sentenced to seven years and six months after pleading guilty to 22 separate offences.

Adam Hastings, Callum Martin and Shaun Rimmer have been jailed for a total of 22 years after a string on burglaries across the North West (Credit: Merseyside Police)

- Callum Martin, 33, from the Bootle area but no fixed abode, was sentenced to four years and five months after pleading guilty to six separate offences.

They also pleaded guilty to three offences of being in possession of a firearm after they stole the weapon from the home of a victim who legally owned them.

Det Insp Darren Hankin said: “The sentencing of these three men has come on the back of an 18 month investigation where it was a huge team effort.

“There has been some exceptional investigative work that has led to these sentences, in particular the efforts of Detective Constable Neil Jones.

“The Op Castle team has spent considerable time carrying out enquiries in relation to these burglaries and I hope this sentencing brings some comfort to the victims.”

He added: “We understand that burglary often has a massive impact on victims.

“It can be a really personal and invasive crime and victims can struggle to come to terms with offenders having entered their homes and stolen personal items, which don’t always have huge monetary value, but on a personal level can be irreplaceable.

“Key to these successes can often be information from those communities targeted, so I would continue to ask people to report anything suspicious, and come forward with any information you may have seen or heard.”

Three men jailed after 37 burglaries committed at properties in Lancashire and North West England