A BUNGLING burglar who broke into a chemists called the police for help when he couldn't get out.

Blackburn magistrates heard Scott McKay told them who he was and actually spelled out his name.

And the court was told the fire brigade had to be called in to release McKay from the shop where he had taken a "vast" quantity of diazepam tablets.

McKay, 43, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary at Geloo Pharmacy in Blackburn and theft of £100 cash and 300 Diazepam tablets. He was jailed for 26 weeks by District Judge Joanne Hirst who said she had no alternative but to impose an immediate prison sentence "in the maximum terms."

"In the last 20 years you have committed 286 offences and your record covers 37 pages," said District Judge Hirst. "Despite the comical features of this offence, I don't find it funny that all three emergency services and hospital medical staff had to assist you because this burglary went wrong because of your ineptitude."

Peter Bardsley, prosecuting, said the circumstances were "somewhat comical".

He said police were contacted at 11.55 pm by McKay who said he was inside a pharmacy.

"He had got in through some metal bars but couldn't get out," said Mr Bardsley. "He had taken a large number of diazepam while he was in the pharmacy which may have contributed to that situation."

He said the fire service were called to force entry to the shop and McKay was taken by ambulance to hospital because of the number of tablets he had taken.

The court was told Mckay had been jailed for another pharmacy burglary and had only been released from prison five days before the latest offence.

Robin Phoenix, defending, said his client was caught in the revolving door of custody, being released to nothing and going back into prison.

"Ironically, the first people he thought of to help him when he was unable to get out of the shop was the police," said Mr Phoenix. "He had taken a quantity of tablets that would have killed most people."