A serial thief who was banned from Watford town centre has avoided jail after he was caught stealing again.

James Anderson, of no fixed abode in Watford, appeared at Hatfield Magistrates’ Court on Friday (July 19) charged with two counts of theft from a shop and two counts of breaching a community protection notice (CPN).

The 38-year-old admitted stealing a £130 pair of reading glasses from Specsavers in High Street on June 10 and clothes worth £135.97 from Zara in atria Watford on July 17.

TThe court heard Anderson had a “long history of similar offences”. (Image: Hertfordshire Police) He also pleaded guilty to breathing the CPN on both occasions which banned him from entering the town centre.

Anderson was handed a four-week sentence suspended for 12 months as magistrates said there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation given his new offer of accommodation” despite his “long history of similar offences”.

Just a day after he appeared in court over two previous breaches, Anderson was again caught in Watford town centre on Saturday (July 20) in contravention of the community protection notice.

The 38-year-old pleaded guilty at Hatfield Magistrates' Court yesterday (July 22) and was fined £120.

It comes over a month after he was given another four-week suspended sentence on June 11 over stealing £234 worth of T-shirts from Hollister on June 4.

The 38-year-old was also ordered to pay £271.75 in fines and compensation on May 3 over an "aggressive" break-in to the Albert Road South Sainsbury's.

Days later on May 11, he was jailed for two weeks over taking a men’s watch and two bottles of alcohol without paying from the same supermarket as well as trying to trying to steal a bike in High Street.