Two brothers who travelled from Hertfordshire to steal off-road bikes worth £7,000 in Chester will be sentenced for burglary in the new year.

Alfie Potter, 28, of Drovers Way, Hatfield, and 31-year-old David Potter, of Langstone Ley, Welwyn Garden City, changed their pleas from a previous hearing, and admitted stealing the two bikes from Tile Farm Off Road Centre in May this year.

Chester Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday, November 26, that the pair had initially denied the offences but after receiving more evidence, they gave guilty pleas.

CPS prosecutor Elizabeth Browne told the court that on May 29, Cheshire Police received a report of theft from the farm in Guilden Sutton of two bikes to the cost of £7,000.

She said that the men drove up in a car registered to Alfie and were seen on CCTV approaching the farm, before bringing the two bikes back to a trailer attached to his car, and placed them under a cover.

They then drove the stolen bikes back to Hertfordshire before they were eventually arrested.

Both men were unrepresented in court and mitigation, with the facts presented, was given to chairman of the bench Tim Mann by a legal advisor.

Mr Mann was told that had the pair been given all information at the time of their first appearance then guilty pleas would have been entered.

Both defendants were asked whether they would want a pre-sentence report, which was agreed and ordered by the magistrates.

Mr Mann was also told that Alife Potter had previous convictions for burglary with a conviction from Aylesbury Crown Court in 2021.

David Potter’s most recent conviction was in 2019 when he was caught with tobacco in prison.

Mr Mann adjourned the pair’s sentencing to Tuesday, January 7.