A MAN who continued offending after being released from prison has been put back behind bars.

East Lancashire magistrates heard Christian Carl Wheadon was caught by DNA left on a cigarette butt left at the scene of one of his crimes.

Wheadon, 32, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to theft of sunglasses and cigarettes from a car, theft of a pedal bike from a back yard and possession of amphetamine. He was jailed for 26 weeks.

District Judge Joanne Hirst said the offences taken in isolation would not cross the custody threshold.

She said the defendant's extensive record for dishonesty offences took the matter beyond the threshold.

Peter Bardsley, prosecuting, said the property stolen from the car was worth £1 and police who investigated found the stub of a hand rolled cigarette at the scene which provided a DNA hit to Wheadon.

The bicycle theft was caught on CCTV and the amphetamine was in his possession when he was arrested.

Mark Williams, defending, said since his release two months earlier Wheadon had not had a proper address.

"He accepts he slipped back into his old lifestyle which involved taking amphetamine, heroin or anything else he could get hold of," said Mr Williams.