Chopper seeks out rubbish tip thief

There was no hiding place for fugitive Gareth Heaton when he decided to lie low in a skip at a rubbish dump.

For the police helicopter hovering overhead at the tip in Lytham identified a heat source and officers removed bags of rubbish to find Heaton buried beneath them on September 25.

Heaton, 45, of Alpine Close, Lostock Hall, Preston, pleaded guilty to theft of two football medals and two computer circuit boards belonging to Lancashire Waste Services and going equipped for theft.

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He was bailed for pre-sentence reports and will be sentenced at a later date by Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Peter Manning, defending, said Heaton’s computer had broken and he went to the tip to see if he could find any parts people had discarded there.

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