A man who stole bank cards and smeared cheese on his victim's kitchen counter during two burglaries in Southampton and Romsey has been jailed.

Ian Masters, who was at HMP Lewes Prison at the time of the hearing, was sentenced to two years behind bars at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (February 18) after having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and fraud by false representation..

The court heard how on December 16 last year, the 33-year-old broke into a house in Brook Way, Romsey between 8.10am and 2pm while the occupants were out by smashing a glass panel in the kitchen door with a rock.

He proceeded to steal a credit card, two debit cards, Icelandic currency worth £45, £30 in cash, two mobile phones and three gold rings, including a wedding ring. None were recovered.

Shortly after 2pm, the owner of the credit card received a text from his bank to say that it had been used, with records later revealing six purchases worth £135.80 had been made, with one declined transaction of £21.

The rock used to smash the door returned a DNA match to Masters and CCTV showed a man matching Masters’ appearance using the credit card.

Earlier in the year on November 13, between 11.30am and 2pm, Masters broke into a property in Church Lane, Southampton, by prising open a bathroom window while the homeowners were out.

An internal kitchen door was smashed with a brick, while cheese was also smeared on the kitchen surfaces.

Masters stole bank letters, a laptop and a Nintendo Switch console which were also not recovered.

A fingerprint matching Masters’ was found on the bathroom window.

He was arrested on December 23 and bailed while CCTV and forensic enquiries could be carried out, before being further arrested on January 18 following "new evidence coming to light".

Masters has since been remanded at HMP Lewes.

Police staff investigator, Sarah Stewart, led the investigation. She said: “Your home is somewhere you should feel safe – which is why dwelling burglaries can be so traumatic for those affected, beyond the impact of the belongings that are stolen.

“This sentence shows we will use all the tools at our disposal, including forensics, to bring offenders to justice and I hope it reassures our communities that we take burglary very seriously.”

If you have been the victim of a dwelling burglary, or has any information on burglary and stolen goods, please contact officers on 101 or via the Hampshire Police website.

For more information on how to protect your home from burglary, visit the crime prevention page at hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/.