A SERIAL burglar has been jailed for stealing more than £30,000 of property.

A court heard Joseph Lamb was in prison when he contacted police and said he wanted to wipe the slate clean.

By the time he finished his confession, police had details of 26 burglaries and attempted burglaries throughout Essex.

Lamb, 27, admitted two burglaries and one attempted burglary and asked for 23 similar matters to be considered when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court.

He was jailed for a total of three years for these offences.

The court heard Lamb broke into a house in Whitehouse Meadows, Leigh, and stole jewellery worth £4,435 in January this year.

A few days later, on January 9, a house in Eastwoodbury Crescent, Southend, was broken into and jewellery worth £5,620 was stolen. None of the property, with a total value of £32,967, was recovered, the court heard.

Lamb also tried to enter a house in Chipping Hill, Witham, on January 7.

His lawyer, Richard Conley, told the court Lamb wanted to clear up other offences he had committed to “wipe the slate clean”.

He added Lamb was also planning to change his life when he came out of prison.