Cocky van bandits who stole expensive power tools from builders' vehicles joked about ordering a Subway sandwich once released from police custody.

But the gang are now all starting prison sentences after one dropped a plastic water bottle at the scene of a crime.

The bottle carried the DNA of one of the group, Thomas Stokes. Shortly after, Edward Stokes was identified via facial recognition technology, while Christopher Stokes was identified through the Police National Database.

A surveillance operation was then launched and on July 7, and all three men, believed to be form the same extended family, were arrested after police boxed in their car at junction 22 of the M6, north of Warrington.

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A search was carried out at a

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