A man from St Albans has been jailed for eight weeks after being caught trying vehicle door handles in Bricket Wood.

Marvin Bacon, 39, of Black Boy Wood, tried to break into several vehicles in the village on November 14.

Hertfordshire Constabulary says a Nissan, Ford Fiesta, Range Rover, Fiat and Mercedes were among those targeted by Bacon with damage being caused to a Hyundai.

At Hatfield Magistrates Court on November 20, Bacon pleaded guilty to interfering with several vehicles.

He was also sentenced in relation to a further vehicle interference offence from January, criminal damage, stealing two bottles of alcohol from Asda in Stevenage, and breach of conditional discharge.

Along with the eight week prison sentence, Bacon was ordered to pay £271 in compensation, costs and victim surcharges.

Detective Constable Stef Phillips from the St Albans local crime unit said: "Bacon was caught on CCTV and doorbell cameras attempting to gain access and steal items from several vehicles. He also caused damage to one vehicle.

"Fortunately most of them were securely locked with nothing left on display. This type of crime causes a lot of inconvenience to the community, and I’m pleased the judge has given him a custodial sentence."

Urging the public to do their bit by making sure their vehicle is locked when parked, St Albans chief inspector Mike Todd added: "We have been running a proactive, targeted operation across the St Albans district to deal with thefts from motor vehicles and vehicle interference.

"Let me make it clear to anyone coming into the St Albans district to commit crime, I will continue to use every tactical option available to bring those responsible to justice."