HIGH powered cars were stolen off the driveways of the owners’ homes after the keys were taken in burglaries.

in one case the keys were fished out of a house through the cat flap.

Yesterday, one man was jailed for six years for his involvement in the burglaries and in drugs supply.

Defendant Liam Shacklady, 25, of Greenfield Road in Colwyn Bay, received two and a half years after he admitted four dwelling house burglaries and a consecutive three and a half year sentence after he was convicted of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

Co-defendant Andrew Price, 27, of Tan y Marian at Dyserth, admitted non dwelling burglaries and handling stolen vehicles and received a 32 month prison sentence – with an addition three months from a previous suspended sentence.

Judge Niclas Parry, sitting at Mold Crown Court, said that they both admitted what amounted to “a crime wave of activity, targeting the coastal area of North Wales.”

The offences of burglary involved elements of professionalism and sophistication, they were planned, and it was clear they acted with others.

False number plates had been used to drive stolen vehicles in convoy from one targeted premises to another, he said.

Recipients were waiting for the high value vehicles and boats which had been stolen.

Shacklady, he said, had been involved in four dwelling house burglaries while Price had deliberately targeted boat yards which were vulnerable and easy targets containing high value equipment.

He had also handled some of the high value vehicles which had been stolen.

Both men lived criminal life-styles, he said.

Prosecuting barrister John Philpotts told how the drugs offences dated back to 2016 when Shacklady was seen driving along Abergele Road in Colwyn Bay and was followed by police.

He pulled up at a gym, ran off and officers who chased him saw him discard a package which contained 34 wraps of cocaine and 39 wraps of heroin.

Shacklady had previously been convicted of possessing the drugs with intent to supply.

In May 2017 a burglary occurred at Wynn Avenue in Old Colwyn when a stick had been used to retrieve keys through a cat flap.

Various items were stolen including keys to a vehicle which was taken from the driveway.

DNA evidence linked Shacklady to the burglary.

Four days later a valuable Triumph Daytona motorcycle had been stolen and Shacklady had admitted theft after photographs of the machine were recovered from his phone.

A week later a burglary occurred at Y Berllan in Abergele when a Rover 75 was stolen among other property. Price had admitted handling that vehicle.

In May an Audi A4 and a Vauxhall Mokka was stolen from Dolwen Barn in Colwyn Bay and Price had admitted handling the Audi.

Three days later the Audi was used as transport in a burglary at Bryn Polyn in St Asaph when keys to a Landrover and a Porsche were taken. Shacklady had admitted the burglary.

A tracker system had been fitted to the Porsche and it was recovered from the Colwyn Bay area.

ANPR cameras showed the Audi travelling in convoy with the stolen Landrover.

Price had admitted a burglary at Rydal School boat house when a boat and a quad bike were stolen.

The defendant Price had also admitted burglaries at three sheds at Gallows Point in Beaumaris where a Toyota vehicle had been taken together with tools, an outboard motor, a generator and a jet ski.

Defence barristers Simon Killeen and Sarah Yates said that while it was appreciated that custody was inevitable they deserved credit for their guilty pleas.

Mr Killeen said that prison had not been easy for Shacklady who had been subjected to a very serious assault in prison.

He had been repeatedly attacked with an iron bar and had three operations to repair his fractured leg.

Miss Yates said that Price had a job to go to when he was released from prison.