A stranger called 999 to alert police to an ongoing burglary after the victim made a desperate plea on Facebook.

The victim, a man, had been woken up at about 3.45am by the sound of two men rummaging around his home looking for things to steal.

Unable to make a phone call he hid under the covers, pretending to be asleep and made a plea for help on Facebook.

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He wrote a brief post about what was happening, where he lived and asked for someone to call the police.

A kind-hearted member of the public saw the desperate plea for help and called 999, despite not knowing the victim or even living in the same street.

Officers attended within six minutes although the suspects had fled the scene.

Later that morning cops were attending another incident when they recognised some items taken from the burglary and arrested two men.

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Police have now thanked the selfless caller who responded to the Facebook post and reminded people what to do in the event you can’t speak down the phone.

Durham Constabulary said: “Thank you to the member of the public who took the Facebook post seriously and called it in without a second thought.

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“Their actions meant we were able to support the victim as quickly as possible.

“If you are unable to speak, call 999 and press 55 when prompted and then the call handler will know that help is required.”

Investigations are currently ongoing.