A Darlington burglar with a “flagrant disregard for people and their property” has been jailed after a popular barbershop was “ransacked”.

Simon Allen, of Lansdowne Street, appeared at Peterlee Magistrates' Court on Friday, July 26, charged with burglary after an incident at Oakley’s Barber Shop earlier this month

The court heard how the 49-year-old - who pleaded guilty - trespassed into the Bondgate building and stole two cash boxes to the value of £16.50.

The Northern Echo previously reported how the 1950s retro-style barbershop had been “smashed up” following a break-in during the early house of  Monday, July 22. 

Boss Craig Egan claimed that around £2000 of damage had been caused after the decor was “ripped from the walls” and glass reportedly trampled into the floor.

The 31-year-old said he watched CCTV from a nearby shop showing a person walking across the road “with a brick” before they “threw it at the window”. 

The incident came at the 'worst possible time' for long-time barber Craig, who was in Mallorca when he first found out about the break-in. 

He previously explained: “One of my staff went in at about 9am and rang me and took photos. It wasn’t until I turned my aeroplane mode back off when I landed that I got them.

“One resident said they heard a loud crash at the time, panicked, and rang the police straight away. Then a company came out and boarded it up.” 

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Durham Constabulary launched an investigation into the incident, which took place around 4.45am, initially saying it believed two people had entered the shop. 

The force confirmed that a man had been arrested and then charged on Friday morning. 

Allen was jailed for 16 weeks and was handed a total custodial period of 20 weeks. There was no order made for court costs as priority was given to the £16.50 compensation.