A suspected burglar was arrested, and a stolen TV recovered, after a passer-by encountered a man acting suspiciously near a South Shields pub and raised the alarm.

Shortly before 7.50am yesterday (Tuesday, April 11) police were informed of an alleged break-in at The Voyager pub on Anderson Street.

A passer-by dialled 999 to report that they had been approached by a man who was not known to them, who had allegedly asked them for help to carry a large TV out of the venue.

Police were deployed to the area to locate the suspect and arrived on the scene in just over two minutes.

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Armed with a description of their male suspect, officers from the Force’s response policing team located and detained a man on the street.

Following a search of the suspect, officers were able to recover darts, drawing pins, a power lead, and TV remote from his pockets, as well as finding the TV nearby.

A 34-year-old man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been charged in connection with the alleged offence.

He is scheduled to appear before magistrates in South Tyneside next month.

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A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: “Thanks to the passer-by doing the right thing and contacting police, we were able to get to the scene within minutes and locate a suspect, as well as all of the stolen items from the report.

“We will continue to work closely with the public, businesses and partners to ensure any burglars and thieves are identified, arrested and brought to justice.

“As ever, we would also ask the wider community, including businesses, to continue to work with us to help reduce the impact burglary can have by ensuring doors, windows and properties are kept secure and valuables out of view.

“Anybody who sees anything suspicious in their area is asked to report it by using the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101.”