A "career burglar" who broke into a pensioner's house is starting a three and a half year jail term.

Drug addict Andrew Phillips, 30, who had a blood clot due to injecting heroin, had fought a constant battle with his habit but lost - and thought prison was the only answer, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Phillips, who has 12 previous convictions for burglary and has been to custody several times, had taken a screwdriver to try to raid the 77-year-old man's bungalow in Colne and awoke him from his sleep in the early hours.

Sentencing, Recorder Stephen Killeen told the defendant: "You had gone there armed with tools to commit that burglary, not caring whether there was an occupant, not caring how old he was, for whatever reason. You were completely oblivious to the impact it would have had on him."

The defendant, of Cleveland Street, Colne, admitted attempted burglary with intent to steal, last August.

David Macro, prosecuting, told the court the victim was woken by his dog barking. He got up, found his kitchen windows broken and could hear banging from the back of the house. He went into the back bedroom, saw someone at the window, shouted at the person and let his dog out.

DNA was later found on a screwdriver at the scene.

Mark Stuart, defending, said Phillips had little or no recollection of the offence.

There was no identification evidence from the offence and the defendant could easily have said it wasn't him.

Phillips had started smoking cannabis when he was 15, was smoking heroin by the age of 19 and by the age of 22 was injecting it.

He had self- referred as he wanted to get rid of his drug problem and had contacted the community drugs team and the Tower Project.

What he needed was time away from drugs, away from offending, to get himself in work and hopefully, the right treatment.

Mr Stuart said the defendant had tried everything to beat his addiction and failed and it was sad he thought the only solution was jail. He knew drugs were available in custody, but in the past he had been clean in prison and he knew he could do it.

The barrister added that last December, the defendant was found to have a blood clot in his leg through injecting drugs. He was on medication and it had been a "very sharp awakening," for him.

Mr Stuart said those who became addicts in their 20s often thought they were immortal.

He continued: "This is a reminder that those people who take heroin will suffer the consequences."