Four men who raided a Milford refinery under demolition have been convicted of stealing £3,000 worth of copper cables.

Fraser East, aged 24, Bryan Allen, 36, Matthew Medley, 27, and Shane Tomlinson, 46, from Sheffield, cut through a perimeter fence and stole the cables and cutting machinery.

But they were stopped by police on their way back to Sheffield.

The four had denied theft and claimed they had been on a fishing expedition and found the materials dumped by the side of the road.

The judge at Swansea crown court, Miss Recorder Elwen Evans, told them not to drive to their sentencing hearing on April 19 because they might not be driving back.

The four claimed they had toured the Lower Thornton area looking for places to fish, but hadn't actually managed to catch any.

Miss Recorder Evans said it was a long way to travel for a spot of fishing and roadside cameras had logged their van at locations they said they had not been to and at different times.

She said she was of no doubt whatsoever that they had targeted the refinery hoping to find items worth stealing.

East, of Bowfield Park, Allen, of Mason Lathe Road, Medley, of Ironside Road and Tomlinson, of Jedburgh Street, were granted bail until the sentencing hearing.