A Stoke-on-Trent man has admitted trying to steal a Lay-Z-Spa and other items after being caught red-handed in Crewe.

Carl Proctor, of Chell Heath Road, Chell Heath appeared at Chester Magistrates on Tuesday 19 August, pleading guilty to four counts of theft from a shop and one of assaulting a security guard.

The 41-year-old has been given conditional bail, with a condition not to enter the county of Cheshire, until 29 September when he will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre for sentencing.

The charges relate to shoplifting at B&Q in Crewe and Tesco in Hanley.

On 11 August, Carl Proctor was caught red-handed attempting to steal a Lay-Z-Spa from B&Q in Crewe. (Nub News)

On 16 July, he entered Tesco in Hanley and took a Sharp TV and left the store without paying.

Then on 22 July, he entered B&Q in Crewe, and stacked various power tools and equipment worth £1,000 into his trolley before leaving via the garden centre exit without paying.

He returned on 3 August and filled up his trolley once again with a number of electrical items valued at around £800, this time leaving through the building yard exit. 

On 11 August he entered B&Q again with a shopping trolley and put a Lay-Z-Spa in the trolley but the fire alarm was activated as Proctor left via a side service access door. Security challenged him and recovered the Spa, three outdoor lights and a plant.

Proctor pushed the security guard as he was alerting police and fled empty handed.

The Chell Heath man was recognised as having been responsible for two further thefts from the store previously.

Enquiries, including facial recognition, led to Proctor being located and arrested in Staffordshire. He was interviewed by Cheshire Police at their Middlewich custody suite for thefts from shops totalling almost £2,000.

Carl Proctor has been given conditional bail, with a condition not to enter the county of Cheshire, until 29 September when he will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre for sentencing (Cheshire Police).

Inspector, Dan Welch, said: "Proctor was brazen in his attempts to steal from the stores in Crewe and Hanley, taking thousands of pounds worth of goods.

"Thanks to the security guard and staff, and local officers' knowledge in both Cheshire and Staffordshire, we were able to put a stop to his offending and bring him before the courts. 

"There are no borders in policing, and we will continue to work with our colleagues in other force areas to tackle crime in our communities and make Cheshire hostile to criminals.

"We are now seeking to obtain a Criminal Behaviour Order preventing him from entering Crewe to protect businesses and their staff from his prolific offending."