A TRIO of armed robbers have been jailed for more than 60 years for offences including the robbery of a mobile jewellers in Prestwich.

Lee Tansey, Anthony Gough and Christopher Reuben were each given a 21 year prison sentence today for six robberies carried out in Prestwich, Durham, Blackburn, Rochdale and Lancashire.

They targeted the Prestwich mobile jewellers on July 18, 2016.

Following extensive undercover surveillance work, phone and vehicle analysis, code-named Operation Tandem, they were foiled and arrested in January 2017 whilst carrying out final preparations for a robbery in New Mills, Derbyshire.

Tansey aged 40, of Innings Drive, Salford, Gough aged 37, of Blackmoor Drive, Liverpool and Reuben aged 32, of Wigan Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield were all sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Detective Sergeant Rick Castley, from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group, said: "These men conducted extensive recces on premises and victims, identifying lay-up points and escape routes prior to the robberies.

"They attempted to leave no forensic trace and avoid detection by switching vehicles, using numerous cloned registration plates, setting fire to vehicles following offences, using unregistered phones and wore construction style clothes during the planning stage to hide in plain sight.

“Through covert surveillance, painstaking hours of telephony work and extensive vehicle enquiries, we managed to step in and stop them from not only hurting anyone else but also stealing more money. Whilst doing this we also got the crucial evidence needed to secure this conviction today and that’s a testament to all specialist officers who worked on this investigation.

“Tansey, Gough and Reuben were clearly fuelled by greed and as they became more and more arrogant in the fact they were never going to be caught, we were building a strong evidential case against them.

“I welcome the sentences handed down today."