An alarm fitter rugby-tackled a burglar after being alerted to the break-in – by an alarm bell he fitted himself.
Brave Andy Watts, 30, was chatting outside his house when he recognised the tone of a security system he had installed in a nearby property.
He sprinted round the corner to find the burglar emerging from the house clutching a swag bag and socks on his hands.
Burly Andy chased the suspect for 100 yards before rugby-tackling him to the ground.
Two passers-by joined the struggle and they held the suspect down until police arrived on the scene in Ashton, Bristol.
Andy said: ”Two of us sat on him while we called the police, so he wasn’t getting anywhere.
”The police arrived pretty quickly and took him away. I didn’t stop to think about whether he had a weapon on him – it was just an immediate reaction to go after him.
”I’m a scrum-half for Whitehall Rugby Club and I go to the gym, so I overpowered him.
”I actually fitted that alarm in the house so it proved its worth.”
Andy works for Alarm Safe and had fitted the system in Jon and Sharon Lewis’ house a decade ago.
Community nurse Mr Lewis, 43, had taken Sharon and his three kids, William, 14, Rhiannon, 11, and three-year-old Anwen to the park when the break-in happened.
Andy was giving directions to a painter and decorator outside his home when the alarm sounded.
Grateful Mr Lewis said: ”We came straight home and the police were waiting for us.
”The burglar had tried to break the windows and then threw a brick through the back door to get in, leaving glass everywhere.
”He grabbed a laptop and ran off with that but the alarm had gone off, which alerted my neighbour and the workman, who chased him , caught him and then pinned him down.
”I think the police were quite surprised, but we were very pleased. The burglar wasn’t in the house for long so didn’t get much.”
A 24-year-old man from Knowle, Bristol, has been charged in connection with the incident.
