A father has described how he came home early to find a burglar in his house - but was able to call the police without the thief realising.

Lincoln Webb, of High Street, Bovingdon found an intruder going through his family’s belongings when he returned home early at 5.15pm on Tuesday.

The burglar had smashed the front door open to get into the house, but Mr Webb did not notice the damage at first.

He said: “I came home and noticed that the front door was a slightly ajar - the light was on in the house so I assumed that my wife and daughter had just come home.

“I walked in as if nothing was wrong and froze when I saw a stranger in the far corner of the room. I had to do a double take. I was shocked.”

Mr Webb, who works for a sign company, managed to leave the house without the burglar realising he had been seen and dialled 999.

While Mr Webb was waiting for the police to arrive, he saw his wife and daughter return home.

He ran to them and told them to stay in the car.

Despite this, the thief remained oblivious to the fact that he had been spotted.

Mr Webb watched as the burglar went in and out of his house twice, filling bin bags with his family’s belongings.

Mr Webb pretended to be on his phone as the burglar left the house, and shortly afterwards saw around eight police cars rushing to the area.

Mr Webb, 44, described the experience as “unnerving” and is thankful a physiotherapy appointment meant he was home before his wife and nine year-old daughter.

He added: “If they had come back before me yesterday it could have been a very different story.”

The items stolen include a laptop, iPad, engagement rings and pot of small change worth approximately £10.

Police have arrested a 45-year-old man in connection with the burglary.