A SOUTHAMPTON man who stole more than £90 worth of chocolate from a city convenience store has been jailed.

Luke Ward, 34, stole Dairy Milk and Toblerone bars from Tesco Express in Romsey Road.

Southampton Magistrates' Court heard that the theft, which involved the help of another man, took place at the store on October 5 last year.

Security staff followed the pair and recovered the chocolate, said to be worth £94.

CCTV stills were also used to help identify Ward, who received four custodial sentences for shoplifting last year.

Mitigating, Louise Morgan said Ward, a Class A drug user, was stuck in a "revolving door" involving short prison sentences, followed by his release and him reoffending.

She said Ward was given methadone to help with his drug addiction while in prison, but the sentences were too short to allow the methadone prescription to have an impact.

Magistrates jailed Ward, of no fixed address, for a total of 12 weeks custody.

He was given an extra week after pleading guilty to breaching the requirements of his post sentence supervision.