TWO women have been jailed and banned from returning to Alton Towers indefinitely after snatching bags from lockers - as their owners enjoyed the rides.
Thieves Johanne Morris and Danielle Perkin rifled through "insecure" lockers before taking the belongings during two visits to the theme park.
They pinched credit cards and cash and bought mobile phone top-ups on July 21 and on August 29.
One couple, from Bristol, were unable to return home from their day out after their car keys were taken.
Perkin, aged 25, of Hulse Drive, Birches Head, pleaded guilty to six counts of theft – including stealing two shirts from Stoke City's club shop in Hanley, one count of fraud and one count of handling stolen goods. She was yesterday jailed at for 14 months.
And co-defendant Morris, aged 42, of Canary Road, Moss Green Village, was jailed for eight months after admitting two counts of fraud and two counts of theft.
Judge David Fletcher said: "The offences at Alton Towers are particularly mean. You know when visitors go it is with the sole intention of having a good – usually family – day out enjoying themselves in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
"They are not expecting to have items of a personal nature stolen from them. They do not expect they will be unable to go back to their home address and rearrange work commitments as one couple from Bristol did. It is particularly serious that you went back, both of you, a month later."
Stuart Muldoon, mitigating for Perkin, told the court: "It is my belief that she is making strides to move forward in her life. She is no longer using illegal drugs. When she is on her own, she finds it difficult and reverts to committing offences. She accepts she has become blasé about offending of this nature."
Paul Cliff, mitigating for Morris, added: "There has been a prolonged period of time where she kept out of trouble, and that coincided with the birth of her child. She has put in place arrangements for the care of her daughter with family members looking after her."
