Three men who stole scrap metal from a Suffolk house undergoing renovations have been left with a total bill of more than £2,300.

Irimia Marin, 20, Manase Marin, 22, and David Stefan, 28, all from Ipswich, were also operating without scrap metal dealers' licences, Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard.

The trio stole scrap metal, of a value unknown, from a house under renovation in Sudbury on September 17 this year after pulling up in a van, the court heard.

Irimia Marin was the driver of the van and did not get out of the vehicle during the theft but his cousin Manase Marin and Stefan did, magistrates heard.

All three men made admissions in police interview, and Manase Marin accepted that he went into the garden to take some of the cabling.

Appearing at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, Irimia Marin, of Angus Close, Ipswich, Manase Marin, of Gaye Street, Ipswich, and David Stefan, of Newson Street, Ipswich, each pleaded guilty to theft by finding and operating without a scrap dealers' licence.

Jeremy Kendall, representing the trio, said all three men were engaged in collecting scrap metal and taking it to merchants for money.

Receipts were found in the van from scrap metal merchants which showed they had been doing that, Mr Kendall said.

"In their view, I think I should stress that they were not aware they were doing anything illegal," he said.

"But one has to accept, even on their own account in interview, they were being extremely careless because Manase does accept he went into the back garden. Albeit the property was being renovated, not lived in at the time."

Mr Kendall added that Irimia Marin is now making an application to trade as a scrap metal dealer.

The court heard that Stefan is a married father-of-five, while Irimia Marin and Manase Marin are both married fathers of two children.

Sentencing the three men, magistrates handed Irimia Marin a fine of £333 for the theft and £238 for dealing without a scrap metal licence.

While Manase Marin and Stefan were each fined £417 for the theft and £238 for the licence offence.

All three men were also ordered to pay £105 in costs, with Manase Marin and Stefan told to pay a victim surcharge of £65 and Irimia Marin £57.