IT is a mere two inches long and weighs just a few grammes - but a tiny pearl-encrusted rodent was at the centre of a remarkable celebration yesterday.

The saga of the Bowes Mouse, which was stolen eight years ago during a raid, has reached its conclusion - and the rare treasure is finally coming home to the North-East.

The Swiss-made star exhibit of the Bowes Museum, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, was feared to have been gone for good after thieves prised open the sides of its case and made their getaway.

But a chance sighting by eagle-eyed staff at London's Victoria and Albert Museum - after Bond Street jewellers SJ Phillips had applied for an export licence prior to auction - re-ignited the case.

Officers from the North-East, who had long been on the trail of the mechanical mouse, headed for the capital to take it into custody.

Antiques dealer Kenneth Markworth was later cleared of handling stolen goods, leaving the ownership debate to be determined under the Police Property Act.

What followed was an extraordinary legal wrangle, with numerous parties claiming ownership of the gloriously-crafted rodent, which was one of only six in the world.

Now, civil proceedings have determined that the £90,000 antique is indeed the property of the Bowes Museum.

Detective Constable Geoff Wall, who led a dedicated mousehunt for years, told The Northern Echo he had never doubted its rightful home. "I have never doubted its origins. I am over the moon that it can now come back home," he said.

"There were many hours spent on the inquiry and it has been eight years now, but we are delighted at the conclusion of the case."

Experts at the Victoria and Albert Museum revealed, by microscopic comparison of the mouse with archive photos, that it was the Bowes Mouse.

A museum spokeswoman said: "There are legal matters to sort, but we are obviously very happy to hear the news."

The mouse will not return to Bowes until repairs on it have been carried out.

Mr Wall added: "With the Queen Mother being patron of the museum, it is quite satisfying that it should return in the year of her death."