A policeman collared a suspected drug dealer after chasing him on a girl's pink bike.

The 6ft PC commandeered the bicycle from its astonished young owner and set off in hot pursuit of the suspect.

He was spotted crouched over the handlebars and pedalling furiously by a passing motorist, who opened his passenger door and invited him to jump in.

The pair drove off together and finally caught up with the suspect, who was found to be carrying 30 wraps of what is believed to be crack cocaine.

PC Rob Leet, 29, said: "I've been involved in a few chases in my five years as an officer but never anything like this."

He said he was on foot patrol near B&Q in Lewes Road, Brighton, when he spotted the man, in his mid-20s, acting suspiciously.

He said: "I went to question him and saw he had something in his mouth. I reached out to try to stop him swallowing and he jumped into the traffic and started to leg it up Coombe Road."

PC Leet was about 20m behind as he hot-footed it up the street but he was losing ground as the suspect disappeared around a corner.

He said: "I saw a little girl on a mountain bike on the corner and asked if I could borrow it. She looked pretty amazed but she saw my uniform and let me get on.

"Unfortunately, because she was only about 12, she'd been riding in a really easy gear so my legs were going round and round but I wasn't getting anywhere.

"As I was trying to work out the gears a car pulled up and the driver asked me to get in, saying he'd give me a lift."

The pair kept the suspect in sight until he stopped half a mile away in Redvers Road. PC Leet jumped out of the car and arrested him.

He said: "At the time I just knew I had to keep him in my sight. I wasn't thinking about what all the lads were going to say back at the station. Now I'm dreading them taking the mickey out of me."

Inspector Rob Carden said: "They say if at first you don't succeed, try again. Rob did that and he finally got his man.

"We'd like to thank the two members of the public for their role in helping us arrest this suspect."

The suspect has been released on police bail as officers await the results of scientific tests on the seized drugs.