POLICE following a car near Bromyard saw a bag thrown from it into the road containing gloves and drill bits, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Inside the car were more items from a "kit" to force telephone cash boxes, the court heard yesterday.

Levi Smith, aged 37, of Coniston Road, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to going equipped for theft. He was jailed for 12 months.

Prosecutor Nicolas Cartwright said Smith and two other men were stopped on Wednesday, November 6, last year on the A465.

They found £59 in coins in the car and a template, which positioned a drill in the right position to open cashbox doors. Other tools included punches and a socket wrench.

The other two men were not brought to court after Smith confirmed they did not know he had the tools.

A check on phone boxes in Herefordshire showed no cash boxes had been tampered with.

Recorder Alan Dooley said the equipment was for the use of professional thieves.