Three burglars have been jailed for burgling two homes within the space of an hour.

One of the defendants was also jailed for a serious assault which left a man with a fractured eye socket.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Robert Lewis, of Basildon CID, said: "These were brazen burglaries committed within a short space of time during the daytime. 

"But Jacobs, Knight and Pelling were quickly brought to justice for their crimes and will now spend time behind bars."

On November 20 last year, a homeowner in Great Leighs Way, Basildon, checked the live CCTV feed on his home alarm system after receiving an alert via his phone. 

It showed a man climbing over the wall and he immediately contacted police and returned home.

A window had been smashed and a laptop and jewellery had been stolen. 

A short while later an alarm was activated at a home in Moretons Court, Pitsea.

The owner returned home a short time later to find the back door had been broken and two jewellery boxes had been stolen. 

CCTV footage from the area showed two men walking nearby and then one of the them running away.

It also showed a distinctive van drive off. 

Officers carried out a search of the area and the van was stopped a few hours later.

Inside were Daniel Jacobs, Mark Knight and Tony Pelling, who were arrested on suspicion of burglary. 

They were charged the following day in connection with both incidents and pleaded guilty at hearings in Basildon Crown Court earlier this month. 

They were sentenced on Friday, April 20.

Knight, 33, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years and four months for the burglaries and Pelling, 35, also of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and eight months, for the same offences. 

Jacobs, 29, of Mynchens, Laindon, was jailed for a total of five years and 11 months for the burglaries and 32 months for inflicting grievous bodily harm, to run consecutively. 

The assault took place on September 23 last year in Fobbing Road, Corringham.

Jacobs had punched and kicked a 31-year-old man several times, fracturing his eye socket, nose and cheekbone.