A TAUNTON woman has been jailed for 24 weeks for a string of offences.

Lauren Jayne Thomas, 35, of East Reach, pleaded guilty at Taunton Magistrates' Court to four counts of shoplifting in Marks and Spencer between March 23 and April 6 this year.

The court heard on each occasion she stole meat products with an overall value of £397.

She was sent to prison for four weeks on each count, with the sentences to run consecutively and was ordered to pay £200 compensation.

Thomas received a further four-week jail term to run concurrently for possession of heroin.

Her offences were in breach of a suspended sentence order imposed for six counts of shoplifting - three from Boots, two from Savers and one from Aldi - damaging a pair of glasses, assault by beating and theft of a pedal cycle.

She was sent to prison for two weeks on (consecutive) on four of those counts and for two weeks (concurrent) on five counts.

Sentencing Thomas, the court was told she was guilty of "blatant offences committed in breach of a suspended sentence order".