A man who stole more than £30,000 worth of high-value boilers and appliances from new homes across Cheshire has been jailed.

Wayne Atack was sentenced to three years in prison at Chester Crown Court on Monday 21 December.

The 37-year-old, of Milner Road, Swinton, Greater Manchester, had earlier pleaded guilty to eight counts of burglary and theft.

The court heard that Atack broke into 28 separate new build homes in Cheshire between Wednesday 26 February and Thursday 26 November.

The majority of the offences took place overnight at building sites in Northwich and Warrington.

A building site in Sandbach was also targeted.

On some nights Atack broke into as many as seven separate addresses.

He stole boilers, security lights, toilet cisterns and appliances, which were valued at a total of more than £34,000.

He also caused thousands of pounds worth of damage by breaking into the homes.

His downfall came after detectives from Northwich Beat Team launched an investigation into the incidents.

During their enquiries officers recovered ANPR data which placed Atack's Skoda Octavia in the area of the incidents, while mobile phone cell site data also placed him at the scenes.

In addition, CSI officers found matching footprints at five of the eight locations.

Atack was arrested after a warrant was executed at his home in Swinton on Monday 30 November.

During a search of the address officers seized a pair of Nike trainers, which were an exact match for the footprints found at the scenes.

During questioning Atack admitted committing all of the offences.

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Paul Matchett, who led the investigation, said: "I welcome the sentence handed to Atack and I hope that it acts as a deterrent to other people who are thinking of coming to Cheshire to commit crime.

"It is clear that Atack is a prolific offender who shows no regard for any of his victims.

"While all of the homes were empty at the time of the burglaries, many of them had been sold or reserved and were awaiting their new owners.

"Atack's actions delayed many of these sales and resulted in the loss of more than £34,000 worth of equipment.

"He also caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the properties.

"Thankfully, following a thorough investigation by the team here at Northwich, he is now behind bars facing the consequences of this actions."

Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane added: "Burglary is a serious offences which can a long lasting impact on the victims.

"This case is just one example of the work that Cheshire Constabulary has been doing to trace those responsible and bring them to justice.

"I would like to praise the work of all the officers who were involved in the investigation for helping to deliver justice for the victims and I hope that the outcome of this case provides reassurance to residents in Northwich, Warrington, Sandbach and everywhere else in Cheshire."