A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a staggering 24 separate criminal offences including burglary and taking cars in a crime spree.

The teenager, from Basildon, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged on Thursday and appeared at Basildon Youth Court yesterday where he was remanded in to youth detention.

He will be appearing at youth court on October 27 The boy was initially arrested last Friday as part of the Op Raptor South team, and has since been charged under Basildon’s “Operation Caravaggio” - targeting burglars who commit offences to steal motor vehicles in the district.

Among his offences carried out between July and October, the boy has been charged with burglaries including

- Burglary between July 28 and 29 at Codenham Green, Basildon

- Burglary between September 6 and 7 at Malyons, Basildon

- Burglary between August 27 and 28 at Rectory Road, Pitsea

- Burglary between October 12 and 13 at Beambridge, Basildon - Burglary between September 11 and 12 at Stokefielde, Basildon

- Burglary on October 8 at Littlebury Green, Basildon

- Burglary on September 12 at Edwards Way, Hutton

- Burglary on August 22 at Rantree Fold, Basildon

- Burglary on August 19 at the Post Office in Stock Road, Stock

The teenager has also been charged with five counts of taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, six counts of driving without insurance, three counts of theft of a motor vehicle and one count of making off without payment for fuel.