A ROOFER given a curfew after causing £1,000 damage to his ex-wife's property had it varied so he can work now the lighter nights are coming.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Michael Crossley, 43, who lives at The Caravan, The House on the Hill Kennels, Whitworth, had already breached an unpaid work order and then a curfew imposed by magistrates for the offences and a judge warned him if he did it again, he would go to jail.

The court had been told how Crossley was first given 220 hours of work after admitting four counts of damage but it was revoked because of his work commitments.

A curfew was then imposed, Crossley breached it and was given a further curfew.

Judge Beverley Lunt, sitting with two justices, said had Crossley appeared before them for unpaid work order breach he would have gone to prison.

She said the bench found it "astonishing" that an alternative to custody was then "watered down," by imposing a curfew.

Crossley had ignored that and the bench would have sent him to custody for that too.

The judge added, however, it was important that work was not interfered with, the clocks were due to go forward and the five month 7pm to 6am curfew could be varied to 9pm to 6am.

Judge Lunt told Crossley: "However, we make this perfectly plain. If you breach this curfew order you should go to prison.You have had more than enough chances."

Crosssley had appealed against the sentence of Burnley magistrates.