A 27-year-old man has been jailed for a total of 12 months after he was convicted of burgling a neighbour's house in Leigh where he stole property, including a games console and other toys and games, worth over £1,000.

Christopher Monks from Arrow Street, Leigh broke into a house in the same street some time between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Sunday, January 5.

Police called to the scene arrested Monks and recovered the stolen property nearby. Monks was arrested on suspicion of burglary and charged later that evening.

Monks appeared before magistrates where he pleaded guilty and last week was sentenced to a total of one year imprisonment -- six months for burglary and six months for breach of licence relating to a previous offence of burglary.

Dedication

Inspector Steve Wilkinson of Leigh Police said: "This operation clearly demonstrates the dedication and hard

work of our officers in tackling this type of crime. We have tasked a number of officers to deal with domestic burglaries in response to the concerns of the local community.

"Monks was arrested, charged, and sentenced within 24 hours of the offence having been committed. This not only highlights the diligence of the officers involved, particularly PC Dave Butcher, PC Helen Mulhearn and PC Dave Haslam, but also the good working relationship between the police and other agencies, and the efficiency of the CPS in these matters.

"Domestic burglaries are a high priority for Leigh police force and we will continue to tackle this, and indeed all crime, to the best of our abilities."