TWO men who raided a shop closed because of coronavirus lockdown have been jailed.

Deputy District Judge Phil Barnes, sitting at Blackburn magistrates, told the pair small businesses were finding it hard enough at the moment without the added loss and inconvenience of being broken into.

Mark Donaldson, 31, of Gill Street, Burnley, and Paul Denwood, 29, of Preston New Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to entering John’s Barber’s Shop and Karen’s Sweets and Treats on Accrington Road, Burnley with intent to steal.

They were both jailed for 20 weeks. Donaldson was given a further week after pleading guilty to shoplifting from Marks and Spencer and a further three weeks for being in breach of a conditional discharge.

Peter Bardsley, prosecuting, said the two businesses were in the same building and were owned by John and Karen who live together. Both businesses were closed because of coronavirus but the day before the couple had been in doing some decorating and left the property secure.

They were at home the next day when hey received a call from a builder working on the property next-door to their shop who said they were “being robbed as we speak.”

Police were quickly on the scene and arrested Donaldson in the back yard and shouted for Denwood to come out of the building, which he did through a broken upstairs window.

Mr Bardsley said a TV was missing from the barber shop and razors, clippers and sweets from both businesses had been put in bags and stacked in the rear yard.

Mark Williams, for Donaldson, said the window had already been broken.

“It is clear that whoever took the items which were not recovered, including the TV, had done that earlier,” said Mr Williams.

Keith Rennison, for Denwood, said if the pair had been responsible for breaking into the property the TV would presumably have been recovered along with everything else.

He said his client was homeless but had been placed in a hotel in Blackburn during the current crisis.

“He had been visiting family in Burnley and needed money to get back to Blackburn,” said Mr Rennison.