A man who repeatedly stole to fund his drug habit was jailed for the third time this year.

Blackburn magistrates heard Patrick Harris had only been released from his latest sentence weeks before he offended again.

Harris, 45, of Elizabeth Street, Burnley, admitted to stealing razor blades worth £235 from Sainsburys on October 30, and stealing razor blades worth £147 from the same store on November 9.

He was jailed for eight months and ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge on release.

District Judge Richard Thompson said Harris had appeared in court for four sets of shoplifting offences already this year.

“You were given a chance with a suspended sentence but you breached that and have had a couple of short sentences since,” he said.

“You have come out and carried on offending and the court has no option but to impose a custodial sentence.”

Nicola Mills, prosecuting, said Harris had 73 convictions for 221 offences, 115 of them related to theft.

He was jailed for eight weeks in September and was on licence at the time of the latest offences.

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said following his release Harris had been found accommodation in the Burnley area but had encountered debts after problems with his Universal Credit and had “let himself down”.