ANDREW Helm, 30, of Barnes Street, Clayton-le-Moors, was committed in custody for sentence at Preston Crown Court, when he appeared before Blackburn magistrates and admitted a series of garden shed burglaries in Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.

Helm pleaded guilty to burgling an out-building at a house in Hindle Fold Way, Great Harwood and theft of two lawn mowers worth £979, unauthorised theft of a Ford Escort and using threatening behaviour towards PC Joanna Holden.

He also admitted eight offences of burglary which prosecutor Pat Bramley said had been committed in Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley and involved garden shed, garages and out-buildings and the theft of high value equipment such as strimmers, lawn mowers, a power washer and a cement mixer.

Miss Bramley said the offence of threatening behaviour had been committed after Helm was arrested on Saturday after being disturbed by a neighbour at Lower Hodder Cottages, Mitton.

He was pursued by officers on foot, one of them with a tracker dog, and the force helicopter as he made his way up the Hodder, which was too swollen for him to cross. He was eventually located by the dog and in the course of being arrested spat in PC Holden's face.

Stephen Parker, defending, said Helm had been completely open with the police and had gone out in a car with them on Saturday pointing out the sites of the offences.