A PET chihuahua snatched from a family home by burglars has been recovered by police and returned to its rightful owners.

Angela Petts, 45, of Swans Hope, Loughton, had only just bought Petal for her daughter Ellie's eighth birthday, when she was stolen by thieves on April 12 this year when they broke into her house while she went to Sainsbury's.

Two youths in grey tracksuits were seen leaving Miss Petts property and, following an appeal in the Guardian, police were able to trace the beloved animal to a property in east London.

PC Laura Dyer said: “We received information that a dog matching the description of Petal was being kept at an address in the Ilford area. We obtained a warrant and visited the address on Sunday morning, where we found a chihuahua dog. We contacted the owners who confirmed it was theirs.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to return Petal home and we would like to thank the owners and the local media for working closely with us in our investigation.”

Miss Petts said: “We would like to thank Laura and Christopher and all the officers involved in the investigation for finding Petal for us. We had practically given up hope of getting her back. Petal is settling in well, it’s as though she’s never been away.”

A 19-year-old man from Ilford has been arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.