A Tory backbencher has chased down and detained an alleged shoplifter in his constituency.
Douglas Carswell said he saw the man running down Pier Avenue in Clacton, Essex, with items falling out of his pockets, and store detectives in pursuit.
After outpacing the suspect and pinning him against a wall, he told him: "You probably don't want to hear this, but I'm your local MP."
Carswell, who runs daily to keep fit, said he took action after seeing the man, aged in his late 20s or early 30s, apparently trying to make his escape earlier today.
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"There was a rather loud shout and someone sprinting as fast as they could down Pier Avenue," he said. "They looked like a ne'er-do-well.
"I thought, 'I can outpace them'."
He went on: "I chased them down an avenue and put them against a wall...
"As I was chasing him various items of shopping were falling out of his pockets and trousers."
MCarswell, 42, said he was "quite surprised" how easily he managed to catch up with the suspect.
"The thing I was really thinking about was, I hope my iPad, which was tucked under my arm, was safe."
The MP joked that he was tempted to take a 'selfie' photograph after capturing the individual, but decided just to put the news on Twitter instead.
He said when the police arrived they thanked him for his efforts, and took the suspect away.