A MAN has been jailed after admitting a string of thefts from cars.

Scott Munns, 47, of no fixed address has been jailed for three weeks after admitting the crimes at Southend Magistrates’ Court.

A police spokesman said: “Munns admitted two counts of attempted theft from a vehicle, one count of theft from a vehicle and two counts of fraud by false representation.

“He received concurrent prison sentences for each count and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge.”

The conviction comes after concentrated efforts by the police to kerb the spike in thefts from motor vehicles across the Southend borough in recent months.

Earlier this month, the Echo has reported how residents’ lives have been blighted by a thief or thieves smashing their way into cars to steal people’s belongings.

Dozens of residents contacted the Echo to say their car had been targeted in locations across the town.

This prompted Southend police to dedicate a single team to investigate the crimes and identify any possible patterns.

Senior officers also applied for extra funding to allow additional officers to be assigned to the investigation.

Police are now trying to track down the owners of the belongings found in his possession after the arrest.

Munns was arrested on Wednesday, January 9, in possession of the items pictured.

He was detained in Leighfields Road, Leigh, after being caught searching vehicles by a member of the public.

Insp Ian Hughes, of Southend police, said: “There is some very distinctive property which has been recovered.

“Please share the images so we can reunite these items with their owners and give us the best chance of locking up the perpetrator for a long time.

“This is a fantastic result and I am confident we will see a large reduction in reported offences moving forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to PC Jackie Willats at Southend police station on 101. To see the full list of images visit echo-news.co.uk