THREE teenagers were caught stealing a mini motorbike and a quad bike from a man’s back garden after they were spotted on a neighbour’s private CCTV system.

Chris Monks contacted John Ellins, of Pill, when he saw the youths pulling the bikes out of his back garden just before midnight on April 3.

Mr Monks then called police, who caught up with the three Bristol men crossing the M5 motorway with the machines 30 minutes later.

The three youths appeared at North Somerset Courthouse on Monday, all facing two charges of theft. One of them, a 17-year-old, cannot be named because of his age. The other two defendants were Anthony Cox, aged 18, of Barrowmead Drive, and Daniel Chadwick, aged 19, of Mancroft Avenue.

All three pleaded guilty to stealing the bikes.

Kelly Marshall, prosecuting, said: “In police interview, all three said they spotted the bikes in the hedge of a garden and decided to take them to Bristol. But a neighbour had CCTV and saw the three males in the garden and contacted the homeowners.”

Mitigating for the three youths, David Bird said: “This was a purely chance event, three young lads walk around late at night and see items which are appealing to them and they decided that they are going to take them.

“It was a spur of the moment decision.”

Mr Bird added the youths should be credited for their early guilty pleas, especially as the neighbour had failed to record the CCTV footage.

Magistrates imposed community orders on Chadwick and Cox. Chadwick must serve a 12-week home curfew and undertake 80 hours unpaid work while Cox must serve a six-week home curfew and undertake 60 hours unpaid work. The pair were also ordered to each pay �85 in court costs each.

The 17-year-old defendant was referred to Bristol’s youth offending team for four months.