Video released by West Midlands Police shows the five-man gang during several raids in the Black Country, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, taking metal, copper and other goods.

They are seen laughing and joking as they filmed themselves raiding a warehouse, using a forklift to remove a truck and even filming themselves, while in disguise, bragging about their crimes.

The shocking clip was released by West Midlands Police after Adam Shakespeare, David Smith, Lee Fletcher, Royston Hallard and David Williams were sentenced to a total of almost 30 years behind bars at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday.

They stole vehicles from companies and used others on cloned plates to take the stolen material back to their headquarters at an industrial site on Watery Lane in Wolverhampton, and are believed to have sold the metal to scrap dealers.

In one of the thefts at Cashmore Metals in Walsall on January 1, 2023, they turned up with a trailer that was so overloaded with copper that it overturned.

They stole £400,000 of metal from the firm and left behind the message ‘Merry Christmas’ and a crude image of male genitalia.

The thieves did everything they could to avoid being caught, with three members of the gang using 17 mobile phones between them during the crime spree.

Many of the businesses were hit over the Christmas holiday when the gang thought there was less risk of being disturbed.

They filmed some of their raids on their own mobile phones, referring to themselves in one clip as ‘Sticky Bandits’ – a reference to the burglars in the Home Alone films.

A gang member filmed a business near a cemetery and was later recorded talking about how people nearby thought they were mourning at a grave and didn’t “spot” a potential target.

Ten firms in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, Bilston, Perry Barr, Brierley Hill, Kidderminster, Tamworth and Shrewsbury were hit by the group.

The total loss of materials and vehicles cost the firms £1.6m. The costs to businesses were estimated at £200,000, while lost sales, costs of strengthening security and insurance premiums totaled more than £800,000.