A PROLIFIC thief has been told to find somewhere to live in the next two weeks or face jail.

William White, 45, was handed a suspended sentence last month after he pleaded guilty to committing a burglary during a wedding taking place at Bolton School.

The court heard how White sneaked into the Chorley New Road school during a wedding held there on August 10, 2018.

When challenged by a member of staff, White claimed to be looking for the toilets, but he managed to steal car keys from a handbag left in a locker room.

White and his accomplice Gemma Higginson, climbed into a Ford Fiesta and drove off from the staff car park.

The theft led to a 26km police pursuit after officers spotted the vehicle driving north on the M6 at Preston at 11.25pm the night it was stolen.

Three vehicles chased the car, which came off the motorway onto the A6 towards Garstang, but efforts to box it in and bring it to a halt failed.

On unlit, narrow country roads, White hurtled along at up to 86mph heading towards Forton and even continued after tyres were punctured by a stinger, before finally coming to a stop when he turned into a cul-de-sac in the village of Hambleton.

White, of Hawksley Street, Horwich, pleaded guilty to burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and having no insurance.

The court heard that he is a prolific thief with 53 convictions for 112 offences, including multiple burglaries.

Judge Graeme Smith originally sentenced White to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years and ordered that he be electronically tagged with an 8pm to 7am curfew for three months.

He must also participate in 20 days of rehabilitation activities and was banned from driving for two years.

But White was back in front of the bench this week after it emerged he was facing eviction from his home on Hawksley Street, Horwich.

Nicholas Ross, defending, said White had a "remarkable record for all the wrong reasons" but had not lied to the court about his address.

He had also made enquiries about living with his parents on Watergate Lane in Farnworth, but they had refused to let him stay in a static caravan in their garden.

Judge Smith said that it looked like White had made a "serious attempt to misled the court" but agreed to adjourn re-sentencing until Thursday, August 27, by which time he must find a new address where electronic tagging equipment could be fitted.

White was released on unconditional bail.