Serial Pringles pirate gives hilarious excuse when nabbed by cops

He nearly ended up in the can.

A potato chip-loving thief was finally busted after a series of burglaries in Nottinghamshire, England, including one score where the sneaky snacker pilfered 17 tubes of Pringles in one go.

After his arrest, Adam Spencer, 40, attempted to explain his actions to cops by telling them “once you pop, you can’t stop” — the snack brand’s longtime slogan.

The Pringles pirate admitted to the burglary spree in which he robbed several different UK grocery store chains, starting April 11 at a Tesco, which he followed up with another theft at an Asda supermarket April 17.

On May 2, Spencer forced his way into the locked back door of an Iceland-branded supermarket, stealing various meat products before coming back two hours later and helping himself to an additional $382 worth of goods, BBC reports.

He returned to the store for another theft on May 19.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and three counts of theft.

On Wednesday, Nottingham Magistrates’ Court handed Spencer a six-month prison sentence suspended for one year.

He was also ordered to pay $254 in compensation and required to complete a six-month drug rehab program.

Invented by Procter & Gamble in 1968 as a potato chip alternative, Pringles, with their uniform size and instantly recognizable cardboard cylinder packaging, exploded in popularity in the 1980s.

The chips brand started using “Once you pop, you can’t stop” as its slogan in 1996.