Two brothers responsible for more than 60 burglaries across the south of England and the Midlands - including four break-ins in just one day in Farnham - have been jailed following a Surrey Police investigation.

Patrick Joseph Connors, 23, of Goldcrest Court in Northampton and Miles Luke Connors, 18, of Celeborn Place in Northampton, were sentenced to four years and two years respectively at Guildford Crown Court last Friday (June 8) for their involvement in a series of burglaries spanning 15 counties.

These include two break-ins each in Allington Close and Southern Way, Farnham, on Thursday, February 1, in which the crooks stole a haul of jewellery before covering their tracks with bleach.

This became one of the Connors’ hallmarks, as in several cases the brothers attempted to destroy forensics by spraying cleaning fluids and using bleach in an attempt to remove traces of evidence.

Officers worked with colleagues across a number of forces to crack the case with the pair being arrested in February this year by Bedfordshire Police when they stopped a Vauxhall Insignia on false plates on the M1.

Inside were the brothers who were arrested and later charged with conspiracy to burgle between July 2017 and February 2018. Since then they have been remanded in custody and pleaded guilty in May.

Of the 61 offences, 21 took place across Surrey, including the theft of jewellery and several high-performance cars including several Audis and BMWs.

The brothers were identified as suspects through CCTV and DNA left at the scenes, allowing officers to link them to other burglaries. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras also provided evidence as to their movements between counties, despite their attempts to disguise stolen vehicles with false registration plates.

Property found in abandoned stolen vehicles was linked to other occurrences across south England.

Detective Sergeant Lee Hazell, said: “The Connors brothers were callous and opportunist, brazenly smashing doors or using tools to enter properties and using stolen vehicles with false registration plates to commit these crimes.

“We don’t underestimate the impact of a burglary on the victims, it is enormously emotionally upsetting and many of the Connors’ victims were left feeling unsafe in their own homes.

“Often the emotional damage can far outlast the time it takes to replace stolen items and repair damaged property.

“We’re pleased that two prolific offenders are now off the streets and facing justice, and hope that the sentences act as a deterrent to others.”

DS Hazell added partnerships with several other forces was “key” to bringing the Connors to justice.

Police and Crime Commissioner David Munro said: “I know that burglary has been causing recent concern for the residents of Surrey so I am delighted to see two such prolific offenders now behind bars.

“The force have been working hard to target and disrupt organised gangs committing these offences in the county and I hope today’s case sends a direct warning to burglars to think twice about coming to Surrey to commit offences.”