TWO drug addicts have been jailed following a string of armed robberies at convenience stores in Brierley Hill, Pensnett and Stourbridge.

Mark Rollason and James Taplin, who wore masks and had weapons including a knife, hammer or a small axe with them during the 16 day crime spree, were both addicted to class A drugs, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

They took £403 from a One Stop store in Pensnett before snatching cash, cigarettes and alcohol from the chain's other shops in Stourbridge.

Rollason, with an unknown accomplice, took £250 from the till of a Co-op shop in Stourbridge and just days later, Taplin, who was wearing a Spiderman mask, took items from a Co-op shop in Brierley Hill.

Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, told the court that detectives investigating the raids picked up vital information after a raid on a shop in the Coseley area.

Taplin, aged 31, dropped a glove which contained his DNA, enabling police to identify him.

Meanwhile, Rollason, also 31, was caught on CCTV in a nearby pub still wearing the skull mask he wore during the raid.

The two men, Mr Jackson went on, then caught a taxi to Taplin's home in Hawthorn Road, Tipton, which again provided officers with information to track them down.

Taplin admitted five robberies and he was jailed for eight years.

Rollason of Albion Field Drive, West Bromwich, pleaded guilty to four robberies and was sent to prison for six years, seven months.

The two men, who both had long lists of previous convictions, also admitted possessing offensive weapons during the raids.

The court was told Taplin carried out three of the robberies with Rollason, who was either alone or with an unidentified accomplice when he carried out the other raid.

The men would burst into the stores in the evening, said Mr Jackson, while wearing Spiderman, skull masks or hoods, armed with the weapons.

They prised open tills to snatch cash and took cigarettes and alcohol from displays before making their getaway.

Lewis Perry, defending, said both men were hooked on drugs and it was their addiction that took them both into a "downward spiral".