A BURGLAR from Whitefield who broke into a bakery via the roof and stole more than £1,000 in cash has been jailed.

Michael Farrer took £1,300 and a safe worth an estimated £1,100 during the burglary at Pound Bakery on Church Street in Runcorn overnight in February last year.

The 35-year-old, from Lydgate Walk, was handed 21 months behind bars at Chester Crown Court on Friday, May 28, after admitting burglary.

He had pulled to safe into the middle of a room and drilled a large hole into it and used labels and a bag full of till rolls to cover the smoke alarm.

An employee reported the incident to the police after discovering the break-in the following morning, and investigations led to Farrer’s DNA being found on the labels and bag.

Det Sgt Rob McLoughlin said: “Michael Farrer was determined to break into this bakery store and came equipped to steal money from inside the safe.

“After it was reported to police, we conducted a thorough investigation and found fingerprints on numerous items he had touched when trying to conceal the smoke alarm.

“This led to Farrer being identified as the suspect and he was swiftly arrested, charged and has since admitted to his crime in court where he has been rightly punished.”

Farrer was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £149.