An alleged burglar was caught by police trying to hide on the roof of a Basildon block of flats.

The 28-year-old man was arrested by officers on suspicion of burglary after they searched a flat on the Craylands estate.

Police caught him after noticing a skylight leading to the roof and followed him up there.

A 25-year-old woman, believed to be the man’s partner, was also arrested in the raid.

Sgt Ben Woollard, of the Basildon proactive team, based in Pitsea, said: “As we walked into the property, we saw somebody go upstairs from the front door and when officers went in and searched upstairs he wasn’t there.

“However we saw that there was a skylight leading onto the roof, which was closed. We wondered whether he had gone up there.

“One of my officers is over six foot tall, so I stood on his shoulders and climbed on to the roof.

“He was up there hiding behind another skylight.

“This is a great result for our team and means that victims of burglaries can have their possessions recovered.”

Officers executed a search warrant after receiving information that someone connected to a burglary was living there.

When they arrived, they discovered various items in the flat which were believed to be stolen goods from different burglaries in Basildon, including a mobile phone.

By scrolling through messages and contacts on the phone, they discovered who it belonged to.

When they contacted the rightful owner to return it, they found that it had been stolen in a burglary a day earlier.

Police then seized all the goods thought to be stolen and detained the pair.

They have been released on bail until November 4 pending further inquiries.