Aaron Clelland, 31, and Terry Lunnon, 29, were serving medium-term prison sentences at HMP Onley when they simply climbed over the fence and escaped.

They had been working in the gardening area of the category C jail and used pieces of wood provided by the prison staff to build the ladder and used their jackets to flaten down the razor wire.

Recorder Sam Mainds said: "It's a wonder someone could construct such a device without anyone spotting them."

Jenna Latchford, prosecuting, said Clelland, from Braunstone in Leicester was serving three years for burglary, imposed in October 2006 while Lunnon, from Reading, had been sentenced to five years' imprisonment for robbery, having been sentenced at Reading Crown Court in July 2006.

They had been helping to build a path on September 11 and while their supervisor was distracted, they used the ladder they had built to climb over the fence and run to a waiting getaway car.

Lunnon was arrested almost two weeks later on September 23 while hiding at a friend's house in Reading while Clelland was arrested by officers at a house in Leicester on October 10.

Both defendants, who were brought into court in handcuffs, pleaded guilty to escape and had 10 months' imprisonment added to the prison sentences they are currently serving.

Recorder Mainds said: "The two of you are practiced criminals and have been lectured by the courts on numerous occasions before and you've not listened to them so I'm not going to waste your time or mine.

"Escaping from custody is obviously a serious offence because as increasing amounts of people have to be locked up, the whole system would fall apart if people cary on escaping.

"In my experience, people who escape get fed up and generally give themselves up as it's not like escaping from Nazi Germany.

"But in both your cases, you were arrested while still at large and had no intention of giving yourselves up."

Lawrence Bruce, for Lunnon, said he had spent most of his life since he was 18 years old in prison.

"No violence was used to secure their escape. The means of escape were provided to them and they constructed the ladder that day from eight pieces of wood. It was a simple bid for freedom."

Lisa Collins, for Clelland, said: "He saw an opportunity to go over the fence and took, and went to a friend's house."