A GANG of illegal immigrants are behind bars after carrying out a sophisticated credit card scam on cash machines across the region.

The group of foreigners, from Romania, Latvia and Italy, are facing deportation after being caught on security camera footage in January tampering with an ATM machine in Middlesbrough.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday how officers followed the men and arrested them at an address in the town.

The gang were in possession of two mobile phone top-up cards which, after analysis, revealed downloaded bank details of two customers.

A link with the customers led officers to a bank in Whickham, near Gateshead, where a "skimming" device was found on the front of the cash machine.

The branch then linked a reported £8,000 loss with the device after complaints from customers of money disappearing from their accounts.

Romanian nationals Carlo Canavaro, 24, Raducu Munteanu, 21, along with Latvian Jurijs Markevics, 27, and Italian Bartolomeo Cinieri, 22, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to steal.

David Brooke, prosecuting, told the court how the gang were spotted tampering with and Abbey National cash machine in Captain Cook Square, Middlesbrough, on January 24.

Officers followed the men and found them in possession of two Orange mobile phone cards and a metal device, attached to the front of cash machines for skimming, was found under the driver's seat of a car used by the gang.

A map was also found with foreign writing, which officers believe to be other cash machine targets in the North-East.

Mr Brooke told the court: "This is a sophisticated and well organised operation and potentially lucrative."

Barristers on behalf of all defendants told the court their clients faced deportation and had no previous convictions.

Sentencing the group, Judge Leslie Spittle said: "We do not know what exactly has been achieved during this conspiracy, but it is the potential of such offending which is worrying and becoming more prevalent."

Canavaro, of Gresham Road, Middlesbrough, and Munteanu, of Walker Street, Wakefield, were jailed for three years.

Markevics, of Fishlock Court, Stockwell, London, was jailed for two-and-a-half years, and Cinieri, of no fixed address and who acted as a look-out, was jailed for 18 months.