A Durham burglar has been jailed after breaking into a house and leading police on a "dangerous" car chase.

Niall Pattinson, 18, broke into a house on Anchorage Terrace in Durham just after midnight on June 6 while the owners were asleep upstairs.

He took several sets of keys and used one of them to get into the Audi A1 that was parked outside.

Police were alerted about the break-in and officers at Tyne Tunnel just over an hour later.

A stinger was used to deflate the tyres but Pattinson refused to stop and led the officers on a dangerous pursuit, reaching speeds of over 100mph.

The pursuit cars were forced to bring the car to a stop using tactical contact.

The occupants fled the car but Pattinson was arrested minutes later in nearby woodland.

The 18-year-old of Cuthbert Avenue, Durham, was charged with burglary and taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, which he admitted.

On October 26, he appeared before Durham Crown Court and was jailed for 18 months.

Detective Sergeant Ryan Harrison, from Durham City Volume Crime Team, said: “This was a great piece of cross-border working with our colleagues at Northumbria Police who quickly caught up with Pattinson and brought him into custody.

“Burglary is an appalling crime that can have a truly devastating impact on victims; it is not just the damage caused, the mess made, and the items stolen - knowing that someone has been in your home and tarnished the very place you are supposed to feel safe can be difficult to overcome.

“We will not tolerate this type of offending and will do everything in our power to catch offenders and bring them to justice.”

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Two in one burglaries occur when offenders break into a property to steal car keys, and subsequently the car parked outside.

The police offered these tips to help reduce the chance of your home and vehicle becoming a target:

  • Keep all doors and windows locked, even when at home
  • Store car keys away from doors and windows
  • Use key safes or anti-theft key pouches to help prevent keyless thefts
  • Fit a tracking device to your car
  • Consider installing a security light and/or CCTV
  • Report any suspicious behaviour