TWO thieves who targeted cars parked at beauty spots were each jailed for 18 months yesterday.

After more than 100 cars left by walkers had windows smashed and were looted, police set up video surveillance using unmarked cars as bait, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said police filmed Middlesbrough men, Kevin Gardiner and Darren Whitney, as they broke into cars parked on the North York Moors.

Police parked a Peugeot car near Osmotherley and left a carrier bag on the back seat with a marked £5 note inside.

From another unmarked car nearby, they videoed the raiders arriving in a blue Ford Fiesta, smashing the window of the Peugeot and stealing the bag.

It was the third vehicle used by the pair who also travelled in a red Rover and a J-registration Ford Sierra, said Mr Dodds.

When they were arrested, one claimed they were looking for places to go off-road motorcycling and the other said they were trying to run down pheasants for which they had been promised £3.50 a bird.

Gardiner, 39, of Hadlow Walk, Middlesbrough, and Whitney, 32, of Cargo Fleet Lane, Middlesbrough, admitted conspiracy to steal from cars over four months between February and June last year.

In mitigation, Paul Cleasby, said Gardiner had been on bail for six months without committing more offences and had recently set up his own business after a six-month preparation course.

Christine Egerton, for Whitney, said her client recognised the thefts were a mean thing to do.