TWO men who carried out a series of raids at shops across Hampshire have been ordered to pay back £180,000.

Ricky Severn, 32, and Darryl Clarke, 29, were both jailed last year for conspiracy to burgle and handling stolen goods.

The pair struck at shops in Basingstoke, Southampton, Eastleigh, and Netley, as well as two in Wimborne, Dorset.

They were jailed after being tracked down after DNA was found after they tried to break in to the Sainsbury’s petrol station shop in Wallop Drive, Hatch Warren, on February 19 last year.

Severn, of Alder Road, Southampton, and Clarke, of Summit Way, Southampton, were both jailed for four and a half years.

At a hearing at Southampton Crown Court it was revealed that Severn had made £114,078.87 from his crimes over six years, while Clarke had made £65,080.26.

Severn will have to pay back his owed money in full while Clarke, who currently owns "very little", was only ordered to pay back £1 now but still owes the rest of the money.

They will both be subject to the confiscation order until the money is paid back, meaning they cannot own any assets until the balance has been repaid.

The duo carried out planned burglaries and followed a specific method. Most crimes were carried out in the early hours of the morning, and thousands of pounds of cigarettes were stolen and sold on.

They wore masks and scarves to cover their faces, used crowbar to gain entry to shops, and five vehicles used in the crimes were found.

Clarke was arrested and charged before police tracked down Severn and arrested him getting off a plane at Luton Airport.

Following the proceeds of crime hearing, detective constable Chris Orr from the Western Investigation Team in Southampton said: “The seizure of criminal assets is something that we can pursue when we can see that people convicted of offences have hugely benefited from their illegal activity.

“We don’t just stop at trying to secure jail terms for these kind of crimes.

"This amount of money will have life changing impacts on both Severn and Clarke after they’ve served their sentences.

"Any assets they acquire lawfully or not will be seized until their court benefits have been paid.

"We hope this shows that Hampshire Constabulary won’t just accept prison terms for those who think they can line their pockets with illegal income.

"Eventually, we’ll make you pay it back."