A man fell foul of the law on Thursday (12) when he was arrested for allegedly breaking a fence in Clayhall while running from police officers.

Redbridge Police were doing routine burglary patrols in the area when they saw the man walking on a driveway.

A police spokesman said the man ran away into back gardens when officers approached.

The spokesman added: “He was chased through the gardens and broke a fence.

“The officers caught him with the help of a dog unit and he was arrested for criminal damage of the fence.”

A nearby resident assumed the man was a burglar.

He said: “I thought he had attempted to break into one of the houses down the street. He was stopped in my neighbour’s garden.

“It was down to not just the police but like most other gardens in the neighbourhood it’s very overgrown and has some quite vicious spiky plants by the fence.”