TWO raiders jailed for a relentless £200,000 burglary campaign that blighted swathes of the west have had their sentences slashed on appeal.

Jesse Gregory, 51, and Joseph William Butler, 26, were part of a highly organised criminal network which carried out targeted commercial burglaries.

Their operations spanned Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and parts of Somerset.

The gang carried out multiple raids throughout 2014, staging over 70 burglaries overall.

They netted goods worth around £210,00, and caused damage valued at £500,000.

The judge who sentenced the gang in June last year said they had "wreaked havoc over a 12-month period - leaving a trail of wanton destruction".

Gregory, of Brinkworth, was jailed for 10 years at Swindon Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to burgle.

Butler, of Sandhurst, near Gloucester, was handed a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to the same charge.

However, both men successfully challenged their sentences at London's Appeal Court.

Gregory's sentence was cut to seven and a half years, and Butler's to six years.

Lady Justice Thirlwall said the raiders targeted small businesses and institutions, including garden centres and sports and golf clubs.

"Their targets were generally found on the edge of rural towns," she added.

Butler accepted being present during 33 burglaries, while Gregory was linked to vehicles used by the gang.

In one raid, a JCB was used to smash through an entrance so the gang could grab a safe.

The judge, sitting with Sir John Royce and Judge Melbourne Inman QC, said the pair had "scant mitigation".

But Gregory had been handed more than the permitted maximum sentence and Butler had not been given enough credit for his guilty plea.

Barnaby Shaw, prosecuting, had told Swindon Crown Court how the operation was 'professional' and 'sophisticated' with careful planning.

He said it was not possible to say who was the main player in the team which must have involved others who were not before the court.

The men were kitted out in masks and camouflage clothes and often approached their target by driving cross-country to avoid being seen on CCTV.

Generally using Subaru Forrester cars they would then cut their way through fences and force doors before jemmying safes from their mounting.

Slings attached from the back of the vehicle would then be put round the safes so they could be pulled out, smashing walls and doorways as they went.

Angle grinders were also used to cut into them either on the premises or after they had been taken away.

Although the cash haul from the raids was £211,484 a further £471,847 worth of damage was caused to the buildings.

As well as targeting pubs like the Pelican at Froxfield and the Riverside Restaurant at Lechlade they also smashed into the Stonehenge visitor centre.

In another raid in Salisbury they caused thousands in damage to the Shaw Trust charity and stole hundreds belonging to its staff of disabled workers.

When they were disturbed at a business in Warminster one of the gang hit a man.