ACTING detective inspector Simon James, of Wiltshire Police, who led the two-year investigation into the gang's activities, said he was "very pleased with the outcome and delighted for the communities the offenders have plagued".

He said: "For every crime we detected, there were at least another five more where nobody saw anything.

"We have never worked on an investigation of this size before - in all, we liaised with six police forces to bring this prosecution.

"The main protagonists were David Wells and Victoria Cooper who went out on a daily basis.

"For local people, it was bad enough, but for people from abroad or from other parts of the country, the consequences of having things like credit cards and house keys stolen were quite dire.

"During a ten-day spree, Stafford joined them and they toured the Zeals and Warminster area, stealing from cars and vans - any unattended vehicle was treated by them as prey.

"David Wells was the ringleader and justified the sentence he received."

He said that, when people became suspicious of them or challenged them, Wells would ask for directions or for gardening work.

Insp James said he and detectives Mark Stowell and Phil Artingstall, based in Amesbury, co-ordinated the inquiries made in all six police force areas.

"We lived and breathed this inquiry for two years," he said

"It was very pleasing that the judge recognised our work."