A GANG of thieves, including a Ferndown man, who are thought to have raided more than 600 parked cars at beauty spots across Southern England have been jailed for a total of seven years.

Brothers David and Gary Wells from Salisbury and sisters Victoria and Valerie Cooper, also from Salisbury, along with Michael Stafford, 32, from Ferndown, stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods during a two-year period.

They targeted remote spots in Chideock near Lyme Regis and around Lymington in the New Forest as well as West Morden in Purbeck and were only caught after a massive operation involving six police forces.

During their illicit operation they changed their own cars 27 times to avoid detection and, on some occasions, posed as birdwatchers.

David Wells, 27, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Victoria Cooper, 31, and Stafford were each sent to prison for 15 months.

Garry Wells, 22, and Valerie Cooper, 42, were given community punishment orders.

They admitted 33 thefts.

Defending David Wells, Matthew Scott said: "The burglaries were on discrete occasions and not a campaign."

In Victoria Cooper's defence, Susan Evans said she knew what David Wells was doing but never got out of the vehicle.

Sentencing David Wells, Judge John Harrow said he was "the main man" in the conspiracy.

He added: "This was not a random crime but a business."

Wells, Cooper and Stafford admitted 33 charges of conspiracy to steal from cars.

Gary Wells and Valerie Cooper pleaded guilty to two counts of theft from cars.

First published: April 27