A fuel thief has been jailed after repeatedly breaking his curfew.

Craig Eady, 26, was earlier given a suspended sentence after twice driving off from a Sible Hedingham petrol station without paying last year. He was also in breach of a community order.

Eady, of Cutting Drive, Halstead, admitted repeatedly breaking his curfew, which was due to finish at the end of this month.

Russell Haldane, mitigating, said Eady had been getting his life back together. Drugs tests revealed Eady was off heroin and crack cocaine after years of addiction, and he was complying with a supervision order.

However, Colchester magistrates said the number of breaches gave them no option but to jail him for 56 days.