PLUCKY villagers worked together to help thwart a suspected jewellery thief.

Locals came to the aid of shopkeeper Colin Ancell after a man walked into his antiques shop in Rottingdean and stuffed rings and bangles into his pockets.

Mr Ancell, 74, challenged the man, who ran out of Hunter Interiors on the coast road and up the high street.

After the suspected thief tried to board a bus, two shopkeepers saw Mr Ancell running after him and tried to grab him.

An off-duty firefighter, who was walking on the pavement, and a builder caught in traffic then sprang into action and hauled the sprinting man to the ground.

Mr Ancell said: "Two bystanders grabbed him and pinned him to the floor.

"It was brilliant to see people in the village sticking together when it was me who was affected.

"I would like to say thank you to those who caught him. I have been in this shop for 10 years and this is the first time it has happened and it's not nice.

"I didn't realise how much the people of this village stuck together. I'm over the moon."

The attempted theft happened at about 2pm on Thursday when a man walked into Mr Ancell's shop.

Mr Ancell said he saw him dip his hand behind the jewellery counter and told him to "put it back".

But the man grabbed some bracelets and Mr Ancell pressed the panic button in his shop before giving chase.

He said: "If I had got hold of him first I would have definitely given him a pasting."

Richard Streeter, an off-duty firefighter who works at Preston Circus Fire Station in Brighton, was walking down the street when he saw Mr Ancell chasing the man with Scott Deveson, the local greengrocer, and Hayley Payne, who works in a shop called Handy Hardware.

Mr Streeter, 51, who now resides in Mile Oak but used to live in Rottingdean, recognised Hayley and Scott and could tell something was up.

He said: "I heard the commotion and just jumped in and grabbed him. I could see he didn't have anything in his hands [such as a knife] so I wasn't scared."

He was joined by a local builder, who jumped out of his car, and helped pin the man down before police arrived.

Police have arrested and charged a man with theft.

James David Danks, 40, unemployed, of Bramble Way, Stanmer Heights, Brighton, was in custody at the time of going to press and due to appear before Brighton magistrates.

EVERYONE PULLED TOGETHER AT TIME OF NEED

COLIN ANCELL was working as normal in his antiques shop in Rottingdean.

The 74-year-old saw a man walk in carrying a catalogue and said he stood like he was “about to give a sermon” before taking jewellery on display.

Despite telling him to stop, the man carried on and Mr Ancell pressed the panic button before giving chase.

Once outside the shop, in Marine Drive on the seafront, Mr Ancell tried to grab the suspected thief in a bus shelter outside the White Horse before he escaped across the road.

The suspect then tried to board a bus but Mr Ancell shouted across to tell the driver not to let him on.

The driver closed his doors and pulled away.

The chase continued up the High Street, with Mr Ancell joined by greengrocer Scott Deveson and Hayley Payne, who runs Handy Hardware.

The three of them almost caught the suspect again but he kept pretending to give up before bolting.

It was then an off-duty firefighter, recognising the plight of our village trio having previously lived in Rottingdean, stepped in.

Along with a local builder, he grabbed the suspect and flung him to the ground.

Ms Payne told The Argus: “I could see Colin and Scotty chasing this bloke. We chased him up the High Street.

“There was so much adrenaline going that it felt unreal.

“I just did what I could. The whole village really did come together. I don’t think you could print what I called the man once we caught him.”