TWO men who robbed 35 homes in April and May have been jailed by an Alicante court.

The burglars aged 36 and 37 plundered items worth around €200,000 including jewellery, watches, perfumes, electronic devices and cash during their crime spree.

On two occasions they fled police checkpoints putting other motorists at risk.

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The Guardia Civil arrested the men in Alicante City with authorities revealing the duo had a criminal record for burglary.

Their nationalities have not been revealed.

Though based in Alicante, the men travelled up and down the Costa Blanca to carry out robberies in tourist areas including the Orihuela Costa, Rojales, Sant Joan d’Alacant and Javea.

They also went over the border to Los Alcazares in Murcia.

An operation to catch them started after a spike in home burglaries on the Orihuela Costa.

They always struck during the evening and in the early hours of the morning, when properties were empty.

Homes in residential areas were targeted and the thieves would get in by forcing doors or windows, or even climbing to a window that was left open on a top floor.

They rummaged through belongings going for high-value items as well as cash with each break-in seeing goods taken worth several thousand euros.

Several homes were robbed on the same day- sometimes in different towns- and they switched cars to try to throw police off their trail.

The Guardia Civil investigation gathered enough evidence to identify the two men and surveillance plus checkpoints were tightened up in areas that were being looted.

On two occasions, the Guardia and the Orihuela Costa Policia Local tried unsuccessfully to stop their car which sped off dangerously.

That resulted in two counts of reckless driving being added to their charge docket along with the 35 home robberies.

ALICANTE City Council has warned about a spate of fake parking tickets being plastered on cars in the Central Market area.

Around 30 bogus tickets have been found so far, demanding a €140 payment- with a 50% discount for prompt payment.

The tickets have the council name and that of the DGT traffic authority on the top.

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The scam also features a QR code which the council says that nobody should scan under any circumstance.

The code is linked to fraudulent websites that are trying to get personal information including bank details.

The Policia Nacional is investigating the origin of the con.

Alicante’s Policia Local says an official ticket has a totally different design called ‘Complaint Bulletin’ with the Alicante City Council logo at the top

It does not have a QR code but instead a barcode with a reference number.

The fakes have been found on Calles Poeta Quintana, Manuel Anton, Campos Vasallo, Belando, Capitan Segarra and San Juan Bosco.

Authorities are not ruling out more bogus tickets being in circulation.

ALICANTE police pulled over a van during a spot-check and discovered 83 goldfinches hidden inside.

The live birds were going to be transported via ferry from the city’s port to Algeria where the driver was going to sell them.

A man has been arrested for committing animal abuse which is punishable by up to two years in prison.

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Alicante Policia Local officers spotted a French-registered vehicle on Wednesday with an excess load.

When the driver saw the police, he made an unusual manoeuvre which prompted officers to stop him and ask for his documents.

Officers checked over the van and heard some tweeting coming from rubbish bags hidden under other objects.

When they were removed, several cages were revealed containing 83 live European goldfinches.

The birds were transferred to the safe custody of the Santa Faz Wildlife Recovery Centre.

Spain’s Animal Welfare Law prohibits the possession, breeding and selling of finches captured in the wild.