A MAN woke up to see his car being driven away by an intruder - then discovered his scooter had also been taken.

But after an alert was put out by the police, Benjamin Cross was spotted by spy cameras on the M65.

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Officers on patrol in Accrington pulled him over later with some of the proceeds from the raid hidden in his boxer shorts.

Prosecutor Sophie Lorimer said that victim Jordan Hadfield’s Vauxhall Insignia could be seen, on automatic numberplate recognition cameras, being driven along the motorway, closely followed by a black Volkswagen Golf, just minutes after the raid on his Colne home.

Mr Hadfield had been awoken by the sound of his scooter being started and arrived at the front door of his Varley Street property to see the Insignia being driven away.

Police officers parked at the junction of Dill Hall Lane and Whalley Road in Accrington in the early hours of Sunday spotted the Golf in the area a short time later and pulled the vehicle over.

Several items were recovered in a black holdall, inside the car, and a bank card belonging to Mr Hadfield’s partner was also found on Cross.

Further investigations by police also uncovered a wallet containing a driving licence and bank cards belonging to another householder in the York Street area of Colne.

Cross, of Hermitage Street, Rishton, pleaded guilty to two offences of burglary, before a bank holiday remand court, sitting at Preston, and was committed to Burnley Crown Court for sentencing on September 28.

Richard Prew, defending, said: “These are dwelling house burglaries committed at night when the occupiers were present so it’s accepted that these matters will be committed for sentence to the crown court.”

He told the court that his client, through his pleas, was also in breach of a 16-month crown court suspended sentence and would need to be dealt with for that offence also.

* An 18-year-old from Great Harwood has been released on bail pending further investigations into the same break-ins.