AN absconder from an open prison has been tracked down by police.

Convicted burglar Mark Chatfield has been returned to custody more than two weeks after walking out from Ford Prison with another inmate.

The 39-year-old, who was jailed for four years for burglary in August 2014, walked out of Ford Prison on July 2 with 29-year-old Lee Fudge who was given a life sentence in 2007 for a robbery on a BP garage in Kent.

Chatfield was arrested at an address in East Horsley, Surrey, shortly after 7pm on Saturday after officers from Sussex and Surrey Police worked together to identify where he was.

PC Lewis Dines, who was leading the investigation for the absconder, said: "Three people have absconded from HMP Ford in as many weeks.

“These three have all now been recaptured within 18 days of the first one escaping, with Mark Chatfield being the last of them.

"All three offenders have been charged for escaping lawful custody and remanded back to a closed prison.

“This again shows the positive stance that Sussex Police has when it comes to absconders. The message is clear.

"I would also like to thank the public and the media for their help tracing him."