A burglar has been jailed after a clever police dog located clothing stolen from a North East shop.

Police were called to reports of a burglary at a store in High Bridge Street in Newcastle city centre shortly before 4am yesterday (Monday).

Liam Percival, 29, was arrested on suspicion of burglary following a short foot chase after being identified by the business's CCTV.

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The Northern Echo:

Police dog, Creed, part of the force's Operations Department, located £300 worth of stolen clothing hidden in dense undergrowth by the underpass at Swan House roundabout.

Chief Inspector Mick Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was fantastic work from our officers and PD Creed to track down the suspect in this case and recover the items taken in the burglary.

“We hope that this highlights just how important a part of our force the Dog Section is, playing a significant role in crime detection and hunting down and recovering stolen items.

“The positive outcome is thanks to excellent teamwork between our officers and of course PD Creed, who has certainly earned some extra treats after this shift.”

Officers were able to identify the clothes as being from the store after noticing labels from the premises which was burgled.

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The Northern Echo:

After he was taken into custody, Percival was charged with two counts of burglary, one of which related to a burglary at a Newcastle bar in December last year.

Percival, of Armstrong Road, Newcastle, admitted both offences at a hearing at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday) and was sentenced to six months in prison.

Police have asked the public, including businesses, to continue to work with them to help reduce the impact burglary can have by ensuring doors, windows and properties are kept secure and valuables out of view.