Police have caught a suspected thief after tracking his footprints in the snow.

Durham Police had attended an address in Spennymoor, County Durham after reports of suspicious activity.

Officers Dylan Middlemiss and Meggan Rutherford spotted the footprints in the snow, just after midnight on 10 March, and followed them.

The pair realised the suspect had attempted to break into garages as well as car doors before they discovered an abandoned bike.

The officers continued their search until the trail led them to a parked BMW.

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Inside was the suspect, a 45-year-old man smoking a cigarette.

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Durham Police said he was “blissfully unaware he had been rumbled – by the weather”.

The man was arrested on suspicion of multiple infractions – attempted burglary, theft, vehicle interference, possession of a controlled substance, going equipped for stealing, and possession of a bladed article.

He is being held in custody at Durham police station.

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