Grove Hill residents Renee Shephard, left, and Irene Hancock Picture Ref: 77171-61A GANG of thieves were stunned when they were marched back to an old folk's home to return stolen garden furniture.

Police in Highworth were alerted to a theft-in-progress and spotted around 15 teenagers with a bench and plastic chairs yards from Grove Hill Residential Home.

The gang owned up and were promptly marched back up the road by officers and ordered to replace the furniture in exactly the same position it had been left.

The classic piece of crime-busting happened shortly before 9pm on Friday.

James Dunn, owner of the home, hailed the return of "old-school" policing.

"Hats off to the police they did a cracking job," he said. "It was good, traditional policing at its best."

Mr Dunn said residents including 102-year-old Annie New love nothing better than afternoon tea on the patio.

"The bench was donated by the family of a former resident who died about 10 years ago," he said.

"It would have been pretty heavy to lift. It was made out of teak and good quality."

A set-of-eight chairs worth around £100 were also taken by the thieves.

Mr Dunn added: "The police were very prompt.

"We dialled 999 immediately after one of our residents noticed an intruder in the garden.

"Highworth has a bit of a problem with youths and this kind of behaviour.

"It looks like they're getting to grips with it.

"It was far better to make them return the furniture than send them to court."

Officers also received a call from a member of the public who spotted the youths fleeing the crime scene.

The man, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, says he's worried that crime is on the rise.

He said: "Kids around here say there's nothing to do but there's lots of things to do that don't involve terrorising people if they want to."

PC Ian Larcombe, of Highworth police, said: "The whole thing could have been a prank," he said.

"We spoke to the care home and they didn't wish to pursue the matter.

"We have received no official complaint so we will not be pursing this."

Kevin Shoesmith