THREE members of a criminal gang have been jailed following a series of burglaries in South Wales and the southern England area.

Julio Galdamez-Rodriguez, Luis Rojas and Francisco Montecinos, all of no fixed abode, were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court this morning.

Speaking for the prosecution, Michael Jones told the court the men carried out a series of burglaries in London, West Sussex, Monmouthshire and Cardiff between April and June this year.

Sentencing, Judge Thomas Crowther QC said: "The men were arrested on June 27 after having been seen in a rural area between Caerleon and Usk.

"They were arrested on the M4 by Bristol."

He said that all burglaries took place in the day time and that in all the burglaries, except for one, the occupier was not present in the property at the time of the burglary.

Another common feature is that access was gained by breaking a rear door or window, the judge continued, with value of the items taken varying - but of up to £20,000 in one occasion.

"This is a category one offence as there was a significant degree of loss as well as an untidy search of the property," Mr Crowther added. "There was a significant amount of planning or organisation and a group was involved."

He sentenced Galdamez-Rodriguez, 20, who had previously entered a guilty plea to 10 counts of burglary, to nine years in prison.

Rojas, 35, who had previously entered a guilty plea to five counts of burglary, and Montecinos, 31, who had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of burglary, were both sentenced to six years in prison.

The three of them will now be deported.

Detective Constable Simon Reed who led the case for Gwent Police said: "I would like to reassure our local residents that we are committed to tackling these types of reckless crimes and we will continue to proactively stop criminals who profit from other people's misery. The defendants show no regard for their victims and intended to callously scare and steal from them.

"The sentencing today shows our relentless efforts to bring justice upon those who commit such serious crimes and the continuous work involved to dismantle organised crime. This investigation has been painstaking and I hope the community will take comfort in these sentences handed out today."