THREE men – including one from the Wisbech area- have admitted carrying out a series of burglaries and other offences across Norfolk.

Nelson Loveridge, John Smith and Blossom Smith appeared at Norwich Crown Court today, following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

The men were arrested in The Woottons in the early hours of Wednesday February 13, after police received reports of burglaries at McColls at The Street in Bawdeswell and the Jet garage on Middleton Lane in Norwich earlier that night. Cigarettes had been stolen in both incidents.

Loveridge, who is 27 and of Maltmas Road in Friday Bridge, was charged with both burglaries plus the theft of a Vauxhall Astra from North Tuddenham in January.

Blossom Smith, aged 23, of Gosburton in Spalding, was charged with the McColls and Jet burglaries, the theft of the Astra and a burglary at Dereham’s Tesco store on Friday 1 January where cigarettes were also taken.

John Smith, 21, of Werrington Bridge Road in Peterborough, was charged with the McColls, Jet and Tesco burglaries, the theft of the Astra and handling stolen goods on Wednesday 5 December 2012, namely a stolen Audi RS6 from Fakenham.

The three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on Thursday 23 May.

John Smith and a fourth man, Danny Webb, a 27-year-old from Blunts Drove in Wisbech, pleaded guilty to handling the stolen Audi.

Detective Inspector Russ Watkins of ERSOU said: “These three men have worked together to target stores at the heart of communities, stealing cigarettes to sell to fund their lifestyles. One of the main objectives of the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit is to target serious and organised cross-border criminals. We successfully worked with our local colleagues to detain these offenders who have come into Norfolk to commit crime.

“They have pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity which I feel is down to the overwhelming amount of evidence gathered by my team against them, and it demonstrates that we have the resources and intelligence to catch and successfully prosecute those committing organised crime.”