An Ipswich man who was part of a gang of burglars who carried out a smash and grab raid at a store in the town has been locked up for six months.

An Ipswich man who was part of a gang of burglars who carried out a smash and grab raid at a store in the town has been locked up for six months.

Prior to the burglary at the Co-op store, in Selkirk Road, in October last year the gang stole a Ford Sierra from a driveway and used it transport themselves to and from the premises, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

An employee at the store, who lives nearby, saw a car parked on the pavement in the early hours of the morning on October 18 and was concerned the occupants were going to tamper with a cash machine, said Gareth Hughes, prosecuting.

The woman was on the phone to the police when she heard a loud bang as the front window of the Co-op was smashed.

Once inside the shop the men forced open shutters to a kiosk containing alcohol and cigarettes and they escaped with goods valued at between £800 and £1,200.

A few hours after the burglary the Ford Sierra was found abandoned in Raeburn Road in Ipswich.

The ignition and steering had been damaged and exposed wires had been wound together to start the vehicle.

DNA found on the wires matched the profile of 30-year-old Darrell Lambert and he was arrested on November 19 and interviewed by police later the same day.

He initially claimed he had seen the Ford Sierra abandoned several weeks earlier and said he may have touched the exposed wires.

Lambert, of Saturn Road, Ipswich admitted burglary and taking a car without consent.

He was jailed for a total of six months, which will run consecutively to a sentence of 26 weeks imposed in April.

Sentencing him, Recorder Jeremy Benson said the Ford Sierra, which was worth £1,500, had been stolen for use in the burglary.

He said the car had been abandoned after the burglary and was found in a damaged state.

Roger Thomson, for Lambert, said his client had an extensive record for driving offences and had an alcohol problem.

He said Lambert was released from prison last year and had difficulty finding accommodation.