A 44-year-old man is accused of cigarette and tobacco raids worth £17,000, including an alleged burglary at a Worcester Tesco store which forced the supermarket to close temporarily.

Leonard Hodgkins is accused of three burglaries, one in Worcester and two in Malvern, and theft from various cars belonging to Platform Housing in Worcester.

The 44-year-old who appeared over videolink from HMP Hewell at Worcester Magistrates Court on Monday indicated not guilty pleas to all four offences.

One alleged burglary at Tesco Express in Brindley Road, Warndon involved the theft of £8,981 of cigarettes and tobacco on April 28 last year.

We reported at the time how Tesco was closed as a result of 'unforeseen circumstances' according to a sign on the shop doors after the burglary.

Shortly after the break-in a spokesman for West Mercia Police said: "We were called at around 5.20am today to reports of an attempted burglary at a business premise on Brindley Road, Warndon, investigations are ongoing."

In a separate alleged raid at McColl's in Malvern, Hodgkins is accused of stealing £8,000 of cigarettes and tobacco, a large amount of scratch cards and £100 in cash. The total value of the items stolen in the burglary on April 7 last year was placed at '£8,000 plus'.

He is further charged with a burglary at Ready Rent Ltd in Malvern on September 17 last year.

Hodgkins is accused of stealing £809 in cash, memory sticks worth £140, a STIHL hedge trimmer worth £600. The combined value of this theft was placed at £1,549.

Hodgkins is also charged with theft from cars in Worcester. He is accused of stealing two petrol cannisters, two harnesses and two helmets from different vehicles at Platform Housing between March 22 and 23 last year.

Karen Wright, prosecuting, argued that the case was not suitable for summary trial at the magistrates court. Judith Kenney, for Hodgkins, said she did not disagree with that submission.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction for the case. The next hearing will be at Worcester Crown Court on Monday, March 8. In the meantime the defendant was remanded in custody.