Homes and businesses in west Cumbria will be safe from six prolific criminals this Christmas.

The six have had lengthy banning orders slapped on them to stop them from plaguing the shops and businesses they have targeted.

Five of the six have also been sent to prison.

Police have secured Criminal Behaviour Orders against Kerry McAvoy, James Thompson, Joseph Langcake, Mark Whitehead, Gemma Rice and Rebecca Williams.

The latest order was imposed on Kerry McAvoy, 34, of Towncroft, Maryport.
She appeared before magistrates on Wednesday and admitted 13 offences of shoplifting at premises in Workington, Whitehaven and Maryport.

McAvoy was jailed for four months and made subject of a two-year order.

It prevents her from entering Workington town centre between 8am and 8pm or any Shopwatch business in Workington, Whitehaven or Maryport.

Four other serial shoplifters have also been made subject to CBOs in recent weeks. Prison is likely if the terms are broken.

They are:

* Joseph Langcake, 24, of Headlands Close, Workington, who received a five-year order on September 8.

It bans him from entering any Workington Shopwatch premises and the One Stop shop in Seaton.

The order was applied for after Langcake was convicted of four offences and given a 12-week jail term.

* Mark Whitehead, 31, of Senhouse Street, Workington, who appeared at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court on October 12 and was jailed for 147 days for an assault as well as shoplifting.

A three-year CBO bans him from Shopwatch premises in Workington and Maryport. He's also banned from entering Workington town centre and a number of other businesses in the town.

* Gemma Rice, 26, of Headlands Close, Workington, has been convicted of a robbery offence at One Stop in Seaton and three shoplifting incidents at Poundstretcher in the town's Annie Pit Lane.

She must not enter Shopwatch premises in Workington or Cockermouth for the next three years.

She is also barred from the One Stop shop in Seaton, Home Bargains in Whitehaven and B&M and Matalan in Workington.

* Workington magistrates sent Rebecca Williams, 27, of no fixed address, to prison for 172 days on October 18 for 10 shoplifting offences.

Her three-year CBO will stop her going into any Workington Shopwatch premises, a number of other named shops and a part of the town centre.

Police have also been successful in securing a CBO against against James Thompson, 37, of Station Inn, Maryport.

He was jailed for 21 weeks for two burglaries committed in September - one at Handmade by You in Curzon Street and another at West Lakes Embroidery, Senhouse Street.

For the next five years Thompson must not enter the parts of Maryport he targeted.

Sergeant Lorraine Murphy said: "The CBOs we have secured in recent weeks, with support from the Crown Prosecution Service, shows our commitment to doing everything possible to help shopkeepers and business owners fight shoplifting in the run-up to Christmas.

"The lead-up to Christmas is a time we usually see a rise in shoplifting offences but, thanks to these orders, five prolific shoplifters who would potentially be causing serious issues for business in the area have had their criminal activities seriously curtailed.

"The sixth CBO we have been granted highlights another serious issue in the run-up to Christmas – burglars targeting people for their Christmas presents. We know burglars and thieves are on the look-out for easy targets and are likely to target those who leave their Christmas presents out on show or on the back seats of cars."

David Fletcher, development manager for Washington Square, Workington, said: "It is really good news that, together with the police, the courts have issued six Criminal Behaviour Orders in the past couple of months against some of the people who are shoplifting in the town.

"I am sure that this action will assist the shops and make the town a more pleasant place to visit and most of all reduce shoplifting in Workington.

"The bottom line is that, in these days of cut-backs and shops competing against internet shopping, profit margins are reduced. When shoplifting increases, shops are put under more strain to make them work, which is why shops close down."

People who see any of the six breaking the terms of their orders are being urged to contact police.