A COUNCILLOR challenged and chased a shop thief who stole items from a local Tesco store.

Stanford-le-Hope Homesteads ward councillor Gary Byrne was in the town's Kings Street convenience store when he saw the thief taking good from the shelves which he then placed in a bag before leaving the shop without paying.

Cllr Byrne followed him to nearby houses where the thief tried to hide but the councillor continued the chase and eventually the man returned to London Road and ran off in a westerly direction.

"Sadly I'm not fit enough to have chased or apprehended him but I hoped he might at least drop the bag," said Cllr Byrne.

"I got my phone out and filmed him in the hope that someone might be able to identify him to the police."

Thurrock Nub News has passed the video on to the Essex force.