A gang of burglars have been jailed for more than 21 years for carrying out 54 raids during a five-month crime blitz across Devon and Somerset.

They were literally a 'hole in the wall gang' because they smashed their way into business units by demolishing exterior walls or bulldozing doors with stolen fork lifts.

Crime figures plummeted when they were caught.

Leader Reginald Soper, 50, and his brother Percy Soper, 56, had lived in Devon for years and used their knowledge of back lanes to carry out the raids.

They believed they were untouchable as they wore masks and gloves and scouted targets using night-vision goggles and walkie talkies. They never took the loot back to their base at a caravan site near Taunton, hiding it in hedgerows to pick up when the coast was clear.

Reginald Soper and sidekick Nicky Christian started the crime spree with seven raids on jewellery and antique shops. Percy Soper joined in as they switched their targets to trading estates in rural areas of Devon. Targets included sports clubs, cafes and small catering firms.

They were caught after a huge police operation linking the few forensic clues with CCTV footage and phone and number plate recognition.

Police trapped them when they stumbled across a safe that had been stolen in a raid at Ivybridge in woodland near Modbury, South Devon.

They replaced it with a dummy safe fitted with a camera and caught Percy Soper as he returned to fetch it. They then tracked his brother as he came to meet him.

The total value of the goods stolen was more than £180,000 and included 17 safes, while the damage to buildings stood at £57,000.

Gang member Nicky Christian, 25, from Plymouth, is thought to have used his local knowledge to ­target several firms in the city, the South Hams and West Devon.

The breakthrough in the investigation came when a safe taken from a catering company in Lee Mills, Ivybridge, was found at Modbury.

Reginald Soper was later stopped by police after he had picked up his brother, who was being monitored by police after returning to the woodland where the safe was hidden.

The brothers, both of the Otterford Caravan Park at Culmhead, near Taunton, and Mr Christian of Bernice Terrace, Plymouth, all denied conspiracy to burgle, but were convicted.

Reginald Soper was jailed for eight and a half years and Percy Soper and Mr Christian were both jailed for six and a half years.

Judge Phillip Wassall said: 'The common features of this conspiracy were the violent and destructive methods used to enter, the amount of damage caused and safes being removed by extreme means. Reginald Soper was living well beyond his means in terms of a lifestyle of ­holidays abroad, which are more associated with someone who has a well-paid job rather than no visible means of support other than benefits.'

After the case police released CCTV footage and photographs recovered from Reginald Soper's home of him on holiday in Mexico.

Other images included him and Mr Christian casing a jewellery shop in Budleigh Salterton shortly before they raided a nearby store. Another showed an image captured by the secret camera hidden in the safe.

Judge Wassall praised the painstaking work of the police.

Detective Inspector Jim Tarr welcomed the sentences, saying: 'This crime spree was well-planned, with most offences taking place at night. They left a trail of destruction. They thought they were untouchable and had an enormous impact on rural communities in Devon and Somerset. It's no coincidence the crime wave has ceased upon their arrest. Significant work went into this ­complex investigation and this has been reflected in the guilty verdicts.

'I would like to thank the victims for their cooperation, patience and support during the investigation.'

None of the three gave evidence, but their lawyers claimed the case against them was circumstantial and built on supposition.

The raids in the South Hams were at: Silver Lion Jewellers, North St, Ashburton; Olympia Foods, Estover Industrial Estate, Plymouth; Route 38 Cafe, Anna Mill Business Park, Wrangaton; Wrangaton Golf Club; Appetito, Lee Mill, Ivybridge; Mac Accountants, Bridge Farm, Harberton, Totnes; and Yeo Park, Yealmpton. The following businesses based at South Devon Business Park, Churchstow, were also targeted: GR Fine Foods; Jeremy Wright Joinery; accountants Helen Solomon; Studio Flowers; Doghouse; Carpet Fitters; and Quercus Devon Ales.