A MAN has been sent back to prison after he admitted breaking into a Taunton cafe twice on the same day.

Edward Hayes, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary when he appeared at Taunton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (May 22).

The 39-year-old forced entry to the Block café, in Magdalene Street, at around 1.20am on Tuesday, May 14, and stole a number of items before leaving, the court was told.

He then returned about an hour and a half later and stole more items.

In a statement to the court, the owners of the café described how the burglary was a “violation of our space and a disruption to our service” and told how they had to throw large amounts of stock away as they could not be sure whether any of it had been tampered with.

Following the guilty pleas, magistrates ordered Hayes to pay £220 compensation to the owners of the café.

He was also recalled to prison for breaching pre-existing licence conditions.

After the hearing, PC Naomi Baker of Avon & Somerset Police said: “We take reports of burglary extremely seriously and recognise the profound impact offences can have on victims.

“Neighbourhood officers responded promptly to this incident and quickly identified Hayes as the offender before gathering the evidence needed to put him before the courts.

“Hayes’ actions not only left the owners of the café having to spend time and money to fix the front door he damaged and to clean up the mess he made but they also disrupted the service they provide to the community.”