A GANG of burglars used covert cameras to capture staff entering alarm codes to steal £200,000 in cash and goods during a number of raids including a Halesowen company.

The gang struck at six Midlands shops and other businesses including Hereford Alloys, Vernon Road, before two of them were caught after staff at another shop spotted the camera.

At Warwick Crown Court Matthew Wilkes and Aston White pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle commercial premises.

Wilkes, aged 25, of Griffiths Street, Tipton, who has already served nine months of a sentence imposed for a similar burglary in January, was jailed for 26 months.

But White, 24, of Helvellyn Way, West Bromwich, was given a two-year sentence suspended for two years and made subject to a 7pm to 5am curfew.

Andrew Wilkins, prosecuting, said: "There were six premises in total, all very similar in that they are relatively large independent businesses, most with security systems and all of them targeted in advance.

“Where there were alarms, covert cameras were put into place to record the key codes.”

Members of the gang would visit the targeted premises in advance to case it out and hide a camera in a position where it could record members of staff entering the alarm code.

Among the gang’s targets in July and August last year were the Alcester Sports and Tackle shop on the Arden Forest industrial estate in Alcester; Studley Garden Centre near Redditch; and the CPS Tackle Shop in Carlyon Road, Atherstone.

They also struck at the Co-op store in Bromsgrove; Masai Ltd Land Rover spares in Eastern Park, Lichfield; and Hereford Alloys in Vernon Road, Halesowen.

Mr Wilkins said Wilkes had entered his pleas on the basis that he only took part in the Alcester, Studley and Bromsgrove offences and handled a Land Rover taken in the Masai Ltd raid.

And White accepted being involved in the Atherstone, Studley and Bromsgrove offences.

Members of the gang would visit the targeted premises in advance to case it out and hide a camera in a position where it could record members of staff entering the alarm code.

They would then return a couple of days later to retrieve the camera and, if it had successfully recorded the code, they would return again at night to carry out the burglary, entering the code to turn off the alarm once they were inside.