A man with an obsession for buses, has been jailed for two years after stealing six from depots in Telford and Shifnal over the past two years.

Andrew Stephens, whose father and uncle were both drivers, smashed through depot gates to take the buses onto the roads, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard yesterday.

Stephens, 23, of Chapel Street, St Georges, Telford, admitted the theft of buses in December 2006 and July and August this year along with associated driving offences.

He also admitted breaching a community order imposed last year for the theft of two buses and driving offences in July 2005.

Judge Robin Onions, who said Stephens had stolen one bus twice, had driven under the influence of drink, caused thousands of pounds of damage and was lucky not to have caused serious harm to other road users or those who had accompanied him on some of the incidents.

Mr Philip Lowe, prosecuting, said on one occasion Stephens broke into the Arriva bus depot in Shifnal taking a bus and driving through a red light.

On another he used one bus to break through the gate to the depot then went back and took another, causing £2,800 of damage.

In August he broke into the bus depot in Wellington and caused £1,900 to the bus and the depot. In the incident for which he was originally given a community order, which he did not complete, Stephens drove a bus home, damaging three cars.

Mr Gwynn Price-Rowlands, for Stephens, said his client had a very serious alcohol problem. The judge said Stephens obviously had an obsession for buses.

He revoked the community order imposing a 12 month sentence and imposed a further 12 months, to run consecutively, for the latest offences.