TWO men drove 250 miles from London “at the dead of night” to steal high value cooking oil from a North Wales seaside restaurant.

It happened at Hickory's Smokehouse in Rhos-on-Sea this week but their van was stopped 50 miles away at Ruabon, near Wrexham, on the return journey at 4am.

“Both smelled strongly of cooking oil and their clothes were covered in cooking oil,” said James Neary prosecuting at Llandudno court.

“There were two large containers filled with cooking oil.”

He added that CCTV had shown them breaking in at 2.50am using a bolt cutter. It was a pre-planned expedition.

Simo Zlatkov, 26, and Marin Marinov, 20, both of London, who appeared in custody, admitted stealing oil worth £1,500 and being in possession of bolt cutters for the theft.

Via a Bulgarian interpreter each told the court: “Guilty – I’m sorry.”

They were given a 42-week prison sentence suspended for a year.

Their solicitor said they had come to Britain relatively recently and both were family men awaiting a job in a factory.

They had been buying cooking oil to sell at a profit but had seen it earlier in the day at Hickory's, “ got greedy and decided to come back later.”

They had been shocked by being taken into custody.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told them: “You were targeting high value property which could be disposed of on the alternative market. You were working together as a team to steal from local businesses.”

Twelve-month driving bans were imposed and the elderly Mercedes van will be confiscated because it had been used in crime.

They must pay £272 costs each.

At the end of the case arrangement were made for travel warrants to be given to the men for their return to London – by train.