A member of a gang of "experienced criminals" who stole almost £65,000 of cigarettes and alcohol during a string of raid on convenience stores and garages has been ordered to pay just £1.

Sean Thomas, 30, and his fellow gang members Jason Thomas, Brad Oakley and Andrew Bell were sentenced in June for a string of offences that ended after a raid in Caersws, near Newtown.

A judge has now made Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation orders in the sums of £1, £10, £37 and £1,000 in respect of the four men.

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Two members of the gang - 42-year-old Jason Thomas and 53-year-old Andrew Bell - are currently serving two years in prison. Brad Oakley, 24, and Sean Thomas were sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years.

During the course of its operation, the West Midlands gang targeted shops and garages in Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and finally Powys with crowbars and sledgehammers in July and August 2019.

When police were alerted to a burglary at the former Spar shop in Caersws, officers the Audi A3 getaway car at speeds reaching 90mph before ending the pursuit. The car later rammed a police vehicle as it sped the wrong way along the M54 near Telford.

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One of the nine victims of the burglaries was left "physically sick by the experience", another said the damage was "brutal", while one business owner decided to sell their shop.

Mold Crown Court heard on Friday (October 18) that Jason and Sean Thomas benefitted to the tune of £64,844.74; Andrew Bell benefited from £39,336.51; and Brad Oakley benefitted in the sum of £10,773.

Sean Thomas, of Poplar Crescent, Dudley, faces one day in prison if he doesn't pay £1; Jason Thomas, formerly of Queen Street, Pensnett, Dudley, faces five days in prison, Brad Oakley, of Willow Road, Dudley, could be jailed for seven days if he doesn't pay £37 on time; and Andrew Bell, formerly of Princess Road, Oldbury, Sandwell, would serve an extra 21 days in prison for failing to pay £1,000.