GEOFFREY Holmes, 37, of William Street, Blackburn, was remanded on bail until February 26 by Blackburn magistrates after pleading guilty to stealing a pair of shoes from Asda.

The court heard that the offence put Holmes in breach of a conditional discharge imposed for two offences of shoplifting and Roger Pickles, defending, said heroin was at the root of the problem.

He said Holmes had made strenuous efforts to self-regulate his addiction and had, to a large extent, been successful. "He accepts that he is slipping and these offences are symptomatic of that," said Mr Pickles. "He would welcome the involvement of the probation service."