A man who carried out three burglaries in Epsom and Ewell over a two night span has been jailed.

In the early hours of June 5, Luke Hicks, also known as Luke Penfold, stole money from money from the till, as well as a laptop, from a beauty salon on Kingston Road.

The next day, Surrey Police received a call reporting that a glass panel had been smashed and controlled prescription drugs had been stolen during the night.

Tests on a sample of blood left on broken glass at the scene was tested and revealed a 1 in 100 million match for Luke Hicks.

The same night, a restaurant in Chessington Road, Ewell, reported the theft of their cash till.

A blood sample was found on the counter, which once again proved a positive match for Hicks.

Hicks, of Lea Bridge Road in Leyton, appeared at Guildford Crown Court on July 19 and pleaded guilty to three charges of commercial burglary.

He has now been sentenced to 16 months in jail.

Investigating officer, Police Constable Joseph Brown, said: “We hope Hicks’ sentencing acts as a deterrent to those thinking of committing burglaries in Epsom and Ewell.

"Burglary will not be tolerated in our county and we’ll do all we can to bring offenders to justice and to protect our residents from these crimes.

"Operation Spearhead has been running with overt and covert officers and staff deployed solely to prevent burglaries and catch offenders, but residents can help us by registering their valuables on Immobilise and investing in unique marking liquid such as SelectaDNA."