A SERIAL burglar stole £18,000 worth of property from 26 houses to help feed his heroin habit.

Anthony Baxter pretended to be a window cleaner to check if anyone was in the house and then broke into the homes and sold on the goods for a fraction of their real value.

Yesterday, he paid the price for his crime spree when he was jailed for four years.

Baxter, aged 22, of Rosedale Avenue, Atherton, appeared at Bolton Crown Court to be sentenced for six house burglaries. He asked the court to take 20 further burglaries into consideration.

The defendant burgled homes in Coniston Street, Leigh, Haydock Lane, Haydock, Grove Street in Hindley, Barton Street, Tyldesley, Willow Avenue, Astley and Weston Street in Atherton.

In one case he stole almost £7,000 worth of jewellery from a woman who said it had priceless sentimental value.

In other cases he took videos, jewellery, watches, cash, spirits , CDs and cameras. Only a small portion of the items have been recovered.

Police traced Baxter through fingerprints he had left at the various crime scenes. He told police that he pretended to be a window cleaner to see if anyone was in the houses. Brian McKenna, defending, said Baxter was glad to have been arrested because it stopped him offending. He had been depressed at how low he had sunk in order to feed his heroin addiction.

Judge Gillian Ruaux said she had to pass a substantial sentence because of the severity of the burglaries and also to act as a deterrent to others.