TWO burglars who went into Burnley FC’s shop 20 minutes after it had been ransacked by ‘professionals’ have been jailed.

Burnley Crown Court heard two masked raiders – one wearing a fluorescent police jacket – had already forced their way into the Clarets Store and left with £9,000 of stock when serial criminals Barry Mark Duxbury and Ian Nuttall came across the scene.

Prosecuting, Kate Hammond said that having seen the shutter had been forced open by the initial raiders – who have not been caught – Nuttall and Duxbury decided to go inside the store.

Ms Hammond said Duxbury decided to act as a lookout while his co-defendant went around the store seeing what was left to steal.

The men left with a box of football shirts but were arrested by police responding to reports of the first burglary in which £10,000 of damage was caused.

Ms Hammond said neither Duxbury, 41, nor Nuttall, 45, covered his face during the burglary and officers were quickly able to identify them from CCTV footage.

Nuttall, who has 74 convictions for 128 offences, including 22 burglaries of which several were at Burnley Football Club, pleaded guilty to burglary.

By committing his latest offence Nuttall, of no fixed address, was also in breach of a 12-week suspended sentence he received for breaking into Coral bookmakers in Burnley in 2016.

Duxbury, who has 48 convictions for 112 offences, pleaded guilty to burglary.

Defending Duxbury, Mark Stuart said: “Both defendants are both realistic and have not asked for a pre-sentence report. Your honour is bound to send them to custody, the only question is of length.

“There is no link at all between the two burglars who are here and the two burglars who aren’t here.”

Sentencing Nuttall to 32 weeks imprisonment and Duxbury to 20 weeks, Recorder Neville Biddle said: “On the night in question you really took the opportunity that had already been created by others. It wasn’t you who broke the shutters at the shop.

“You stole a number of shirts from Burnley Football Club which needs all the money it can to improve its squad and continue its progress.

“Not only are you doing the club a disservice but you’re doing a disservice to the people of the town.”