A man addicted to 'legal' highs raided 12 properties in two months, a court has heard.

Kenneth Brough, of Tower Road in Bournemouth, first admitted one burglary and one attempted burglary before magistrates in April, and was sent to Bournemouth Crown Court for sentence.

However, he then asked for a further six attempted burglaries and four burglaries to be taken into account by a judge.

Prosecuting, Rob Welling said Brough had an addiction to legal high Kronic, also known as Spice, and had committed a "concerted pattern" of offences in Bournemouth.

The defendant smashed doors and stole items including a television and an iPod during his offences.

On one occasion, he was confronted by a homeowner.

Brough, 51, apologised and left the property.

Mr Welling said: "The defendant has 21 previous convictions for 33 offences.

"There are no previous dwelling burglaries [on his record]."

Ceri Harrison, mitigating for Brough, said the defendant has "difficulties long-standing with alcohol abuse" following a break up in 2000.

"He took solace in the bottle," she said.

"He managed to get himself sober in 2006, he managed to gain a level of life and stop offending, and he took solace in Buddhism and found that was a great help to him."

However, in 2010 Brough began experimenting with legal highs - which were outlawed altogether on Thursday, May 26 - and eventually became addicted, Ms Harrison said.

The defendant targeted properties near the shop where he bought the drugs, the court heard.

Recorder Stephen Parish sentenced the defendant to two years behind bars.

What is Kronic?

Kronic, which is also known as Spice, is a type of synthetic cannabis smoked so it produces a quick and intense psychoactive drug effect.

In 2014, the chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, said it is a growing problem in UK prisons with serious physical and mental health consequences.

Its popularity with inmates has surged because the psychoactive designer drug can be passed off as a tobacco roll-up, has no distinctive smell and it evades current drug testing capabilities in prisons.

A blanket ban on so-called legal highs has now come into force in the UK.

Laws criminalising the production, distribution, sale and supply of what are otherwise known as new psychoactive substances began on Thursday, May 26.