A MAN broke into a cafe and a shop in overnight raids in Ludlow, stealing more than £600 in cash, a court heard.

Shane Wear, 39, and an unidentified accomplice, also stole alcohol and a two charity collection boxes from the premises in May this year.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court this week Wear was jailed for two years after admitting the two burglaries.

Judge Jonathan Gosling said that while Wear claimed he had little memory of the offences because of alcohol, he had had the wits about him to cover himself while committing the burglaries which made identification difficult.

The court heard Wear, of Sandford Road, Ludlow, had a string of previous convictions for burglary and was identified by DNA recovered at the scene by police.

At the time of the break-ins, Wear was on licence from prison having been released from a 21-month sentence imposed in August last year for burglary.

The two latest incidents happened on May 29 at the Aragon Cafe and the Broad Bean vegan delicatessen shop in Ludlow town centre.

Miss Sati Ruck, prosecuting said a door was forced open at the cafe in Church Street where £440 was stolen and at least two bottles of alcohol taken by the intruders.

At the natural products shop in Broad Street, staff found a pane of glass had been smashed and £200 cash was missing.

Collection tins for the Midlands Air Ambulance and Guide Dogs for the Blind were taken and a cider drinks cabinet was found dumped in the street nearby.

Miss Jane Sarginson, for Wear, said her client could not recall committing the offences and his problems with alcohol and drugs were now taking a toll on his health.