A burglar who brandished a crowbar at a frightened woman volunteer and demanded money after breaking into a Worcestershire arts centre has been given a four-year jail sentence.

Christopher Spiers, 34, went into Number 8 Arts Centre in Pershore at about 9pm on April 29 this year and spoke to Mrs Ellen Honeybunn on reception, Worcester Crown Court heard.

A rehearsal was going on in another part of the building and Spiers left, Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, told the court. At about quarter to eleven, Mrs Honeybunn went upstairs to the office with the takings and as she went back downstairs, she saw him again. He had disguised himself by pulling his hoodie up and was carrying a crowbar.

He brandished the crowbar at Mrs Honeybunn and demanded money and her mobile phone, Mr Whitfield said.

"She was so concerned, she dropped to her knees and opened her handbag to show him there was nothing to steal," Mr Whitfield said.

She ran back up to the safety of the office, where another volunteer was present, and Spiers ran away. Police recognised him from CCTV pictures showing him looking around the arts centre for something to steal. When they went to arrest him at his home on Cleeve Prior caravan site, near Evesham, he ran away but was caught after a pursuit.

Spiers pleaded guilty to attempted robbery. He also admitted two offences of burglary at the warehouse of Homebase in Evesham on October 11 last year, when he stole five pressure washers and again on January 11 this year when he stole two pressure washers and a lawnmower.

On the second occasion, he took a pair of bolt cutters on sale on the shop floor and used them for the break-in, Mr Whitfield said.

Lloyd Jenkins, defending, said Spiers had a number of previous convictions, mostly for theft to fund his drug addiction. The offence at Number 8 was a "burglary gone wrong" because he thought the building would be empty when he broke in using the crowbar.

"He thought everyone had gone home. He had a great shock when he confronted the receptionist and she was extremely frightened," Mr Jenkins said. "He panicked and acted in the heat of the moment."

Spiers, he said, had now been getting help to tackle his drug addiction.

Recorder Graeme Cliff told Spiers he had reached a crossroads in his life and had to help himself or he would be given longer jail sentences.

He gave Spiers three years and three months for the attempted robbery to run consecutively with two concurrent nine month sentences for each of the burglaries. He also activated a six week suspended sentence which Spiers had breached, making a total of four years and six weeks.

Speaking after the hearing, Andy Smart, the chairman of the board of trustees at Number 8, said: "Our first concern in a situation like this is the safety of our staff and volunteers who come to Number 8. When things like this happen it is very sad but also very rare. We have reviewed our security procedures following the incident."