A drug addict has been jailed to protect Bradford's city centre stores from his persistent thieving.

The city's crown court today heard that Abad Matloob had already been banned from the city centre as part of an anti-social behaviour order aimed at tackling his repeated shoplifting.

His barrister, Stephen Wood, told the court: "There is probably no store detective in Bradford who doesn't know this defendant."

Matloob, 28, of Alcester Garth, Pollard Park, Bradford, pleaded guilty to theft and breaching his ASBO.

Jailing him for 18 months, Judge Robert Bartfield said: "You repeatedly breached the order and the time is long overdue when the shopkeepers of this city must have some protection from your activities."

Ewan McLachlan, prosecuting, said a store detective at W H Smith saw Matloob enter the International Store in Darley Street and select two packs of bedding valued at £80 and put them in one of three carrier bags he was carrying.

After staying inside the store for several minutes he left without paying and was detained by a staff member and two police community support officers.

Mr McLachlan said Matloob had a "substantial record" of shoplifting and revealed to police that he had only been out of prison a few weeks.

Mr Wood said his client was a drug addict who stole to fund his addiction.