POLICE in Darlington were celebrating last night after a one-man crime wave was jailed after confessing to 261 crimes.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Paul Ponsford, 25, of Greenbank Road, Darlington, told detectives he was trying to wipe the slate clean and start again when he confessed.

So police drove the crook around the streets of Darlington and were amazed when he pointed out house after house which he claimed to have burgled.

Ponsford's solicitors claimed he could not have committed all of the burglaries as most of them were done while he was in hospital.

They had checked his stays in hospital and prosecutors subsequently reduced the number of break-ins to 60, including 39 burglaries of sheds, four shops and 17 thefts from cars.

Mr Cordey said his client had decided to wipe the slate clean after spending the last four years in prison and deciding it was time for a change.

Yesterday, he was jailed for 30 months after pleading guilty to six Darlington burglaries in March and April, with 60 others taken into consideration.

Simon Redhead, 26, of Norton Lane, Darlington, admitted committing one burglary with Ponsford and was jailed for six months.

Detective Constable Gus Miller, of Darlington Police, said: "Ponsford is a prolific offender, so it's good news for the people of Darlington that he's off the streets."