A burglar was snared after a distinctive bag he used while he ransacked two homes in Battersea was spotted on CCTV cameras residents had installed.

Aubrey Appiah, 33, unemployed, of Shrubbery Road, Streatham, was sentenced to three years in prison for the burglaries when he appeared at Kingston Court on Wednesday.

Appiah pleaded guilty to both burglaries, which took place at two maisonettes in Shuttleworth Road on October 23, after being shown a compilation of CCTV footage of himself captured from various locations in Wandsworth.

In one image Appiah - who carried a black and white carrier bag and wore a black jacket - was seen entering a communal entrance to a property.

When he emerged 30 minutes later, he was seen discarding black gloves and putting them in his carrier bag.

Appiah, who kicked open the doors of the properties, stole i-phones and foreign currency.

Further CCTV from local businesses traced the suspect's movements to Falcon Road.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Following enquires and a few hundred hours of CCTV viewing, officers went to Appiah's home address on October 27.

They found the clothing and the carrier bag at his home. He was arrested and later charged.”

Detective Inspector Matt Phelps of the Met’s priority crime unit said the evidence from the borough’s CCTV helped get the prosecution.

He said: “We want to thank the business community and our partners at Wandsworth Council for their co-operation in providing the CCTV footage that was to prove so crucial to this case. I also want to point out that residents of Shuttleworth Road, where the burglaries took place, paid for their own CCTV cameras.

“Appiah had no choice other than to plead guilty when he saw the visual case against him. It clearly shows that when used correctly, CCTV can play an integral part in police investigations.”