Two men have been jailed after they went on the prowl burgling expensive detached homes in Goudhurst and Brenchley.

In one raid on an eight-bedroom home in Maypole Lane, Goudhurst, cash and property of great sentimental value totalling £36,000 was stolen.

Amos Beaney and Moses King even returned on another occasion hoping to find more rich pickings, but were foiled by a builder working there.

The pair admitted conspiracy to burgle between December 5 and 20 2014.

King, of Plum Tree Lane, Stockbury, was jailed for three years and Beaney, of Bow Road, Wateringbury, for two years an eight months.

Tommy Beaney, 19, of Westwood Road, Wateringbury, denied the charge and the prosecution dropped the case against him.

Prosecutor Donna East told Maidstone Crown Court Beaney, 24, and King, 29, clearly targeted substantial detached homes in rural areas.

They toured around in an old Saab car and hurled stones or pebbles at windows to gain access. The car was picked up on automatic number plate recognition cameras.

Miss East said a builder was working at the house in Goudhurst while the elderly owner was away. The builder arrived there to discover the break in.

Rooms had been ransacked and the owner was to describe it looking like a bomb had hit it.

Miss East said £26,000 worth of jewellery, including engagement and wedding rings, and £10,000 in cash was stolen.

A golf club had been left in a bedroom, suggesting it could have been ready to use as a weapon.

Another burglary was at a large home in Brenchley. Jewellery and designer watches with a total value of £7,000 were stolen.

There was also an attempted burglary in the village, this time at a five-bedroom house. One of the owners returned home to find an intruder there. He fled empty-handed.

Beaney and King went back to the Goudhurst house. The builder came face to face with a man wearing a balaclava. He followed him but then went back to the house and called the police.

Judge Michael Carroll told King, who has just become a father, and Beaney: “There was some planning and determination here."