A Lindley man who committed a string of shop thefts to fund his heroin habit has been jailed.

Ricky Walker admitted targeting seven supermarkets between August and September - and he bit two staff members who tried to stop him and threatened to stab them.

His solicitor Bob Carr said that his client was going to end up dead if he continued to inject the class A drug.

Kirklees Magistrates’ Court was told about a theft from the Marsh branch of the Co-op on September 9.

Walker, of Wellington Street, was on two sets of police bail for thefts at the time. He stuffed four joints of beef under his jacket and was stopped by two members of staff as he tried to leave the store.

Ben Crosland, prosecuting, said: “There was a struggle and he threatened to stab them. He was taken to the floor and while they were restraining him they were both bitten.”

The court heard about other shop thefts, including the theft of meat from Morrisons in Huddersfield town centre and two bottles of cognac from the Elland branch of the supermarket.

Mr Carr said that his client’s offending began in 2012 when he started taking drugs.

He said: “He was a responsible man in a responsible job when he gets involved with that filth. He’s a man who’s going to find himself dead in the gutter if it continues.”

The court was told that Walker, 31, currently uses two bags of heroin three times a week.

District Judge Michael Fanning told him: “Drugs are a hideous affliction. But ultimately your offending is so serious and persistent that the only way I can deal with you and protect the public is to send you to prison.”

Judge Fanning jailed Walker for 40 weeks.