A crack cocaine addict who carried out more than 150 burglaries to help feed his habit was today jailed for four years.

Simon Knights, 31, used the rail network to raid properties in towns near stations all over Sussex.

He admitted a total of 11 burglaries but after being snared by police asked for another 145 to be taken into consideration.

In north Sussex he raided homes in Crawley as well as Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath in Mid Sussex.

Village homes in Keymer, Hassocks, Ditchling, Hurstpierpoint, Clayton, and Street were also on his list as well as properties in the towns of Lewes, Eastbourne, Uckfield, Seaford and Bexhill in East Sussex.

On the other side of the county he raided homes in Worthing, Goring, Lancing, Littlehampton, Eastergate, Barnham and Shoreham.

In Essex he struck at home near stations on the railway line that links Westcliff-on-Sea to the capital.

Prosecutor Stephen Shay said that Knights was arrested following a burglary in Westcliff on March 7 this year when he used a paving slab from the patio to smash a window.

He stole a quantity of jewellery from the house that was later recovered by the police.

It was while being interviewed at Crawley Police station, in Sussex, that Knights announced he wanted to make a clean breast of all his offending.

He was then driven around Sussex and Essex in a car with detectives pointing out homes that he had previously raided.

Officers then checked their records and found Knights was responsible for more than 150 home raids.

Lewes Crown Court heard that on one occasion he dealt with the homeowner's dog by locking it in a bedroom after luring it their with dog biscuits.

In other raids he used stones or paving slabs from the garden to smash through windows at the rear of the house.

Typically he would steal jewellery, cash and foreign currency as well as electrical equipment including iPods, laptops and games consoles.

Jonathan Marsden-Lynch, defending, said: "He has given considerable assistance to the police and there is tangible evidence that he is addressing his behaviour.

"These events have acted as a turning point in his life. All of the offences are related to the consumption of drugs and to a lesser extent alcohol.

"His priority is trying to address his drug problem. He has had an addiction to crack cocaine for some ten years."

The court heard that Knights was trying to conquer his addiction to drugs while in prison and was also keen to take advantage of jail courses to learn how to become a bricklayer.

Knights has a string of previous convictions dating back to 1994.

He has been given custodial sentences for a variety of offences including burglary in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003.

Mr Recorder Paul Taylor said Knights had an "horrific" criminal record but that "there is now scope for hope that you are finally tackling your drug problem".