A man from Yate has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for burglaries, breaking into vehicles and committing fraud offences in Yate and South Gloucestershire.

Matthew Coombes, 31, of Orchard Close in Yate, appeared before Bristol Crown Court where he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for 12 offences. This included six cases of fraud, three cases of theft, two burglaries and a shoplifting offence.

Coombes had previously pleaded guilty to the offences at Bristol Magistrates’ Court in July.

On Sunday June 28, Coombes broke into two vehicles in Yate to steal a number of bank cards and a wallet. He was subsequently identified by members of the community and police officers thanks to a local resident’s CCTV footage that recorded the incident.

Once in custody, officers found several stolen bank cards in Coombe’s possession which had been stolen from a property in Yate and from another person in Frampton Cottrell.

Designated Investigating Officer for Operation Remedy, Alastair Binnie, said: “Coombes offending caused a lot of distress to the community in Yate, so I hope his sentencing goes someway to helping the victims with their recovery.

"They should be proud of the instrumental role they played in helping us to identify him and bring him to justice. Their help was invaluable and it again highlights the importance of us working together with our communities to tackle crime.”

Operation Remedy is a proactive campaign across Avon and Somerset that targets residential burglary, knife crime and the illegal supply of controlled drugs.