AN off-duty detective tackled a drug-fuelled burglar after he saw him steal from the home of an elderly woman.

Durham Crown Court heard that Detective Constable Edward Hollingsworth saw Michael Price, who was unsteady on his feet, acting suspiciously at the door of a bungalow in Cragside, Chester-le-Street, in September.

Penny Moreland, prosecuting, said Price had just told the 86-year-old occupant he had come to work on her garden.

She said: "She knew he was not her regular gardener and went back into the bungalow to check, but left the front door open, and Price followed her in.

"Det Con Hollingsworth decided to follow Price, and when the officer went inside, he saw Price pick up the woman's handbag from a low table and tuck it under his jacket.

"A struggle then followed between the pair, during which Det Con Hollingsworth asked the elderly woman to phone the police.

"But he was able to subdue Price and arrest him."

Miss Moreland said other officers soon arrived, and a second man, Andrew Thompson, who was waiting outside in a van, was arrested following a short chase.

He was apprehended in nearby woodland and found in possession of heroin.

Miss Moreland said police concluded Price's unsteadiness was caused by drugs.

Price, 23, of Lowther Crescent, Chester-le-Street, admitted burglary, while 25-year-old Thompson, of Coverley, Great Lumley, near Chester-le-Street, admitted possession of heroin, but denied burglary.

He was convicted after the prosecution said it was joint enterprise, even though Thompson was only sitting in the van.

Judge Richard Lowden adjourned sentence on the pair to await the outcome of other matters against them.

They were remanded in custody pending sentence.