TWO Worcester men stole more than £3,500 of goods from a DIY store which was being refurbished.

Stewart Connor, aged 21, and 20-year-old Kevin Jones made their move when they found a storage shed full of equipment at the back of Homebase, in Hylton Road.

They escaped with a haul of household and gardening equipment on Monday, September 30, Worcester magistrates heard.

Following a tip-off, police raided a house in Dines Green and found the haul, valued at £3,728.20, said Owen Beale, prosecuting.

"Mr Connor, when first interviewed, said he had been in his house when the theft occurred and when he woke up he found the stolen goods in the house," he said.

But when Jones was interviewed, he told police that he, Connor and another man had taken part in the burglary, transporting the equipment in a car.

He also revealed it had taken two trips to transport everything.

Andrew Childs, defending trainee car mechanic Connor, of Grenville Road, Dines Green, said his client had never been in trouble before.

"It's the first time he'd been arrested and I have some surprise that he would involve himself in an enterprise of some significance for someone without a record," he said.

"He was not involved in the planning, but involved in the act, probably because he is a car owner."

He told the court another man had also been charged regarding the incident.

David Jackson, defending Jones, of Green Lane, off Merrimans Hill, said his client had a criminal record and was currently subject to a community rehabilitation order.

Both admitted burglary.

Magistrates asked for a stand-down report for Connor while a pre-sentence report was prepared by Jones for Thursday, October 31. Magistrates also indicated Connor would be given a community-based sentence.