A MAN who was arrested following a dramatic police chase along a series of balconies above shops has pleaded guilty to burglary.

Ashley Thompson, 26, was caught by police after he attempted to break-in to the rear of a business in Station Road, Chingford.

When he was confronted at the scene he jumped over a wall and climbed onto the roof of an extension in a bid to escape.

As police closed in, he then knocked on the door of a nearby flat, forcing his way in when the startled home-owner answered it.

Thompson then smashed his way out through a window and scampered along the balconies above Zekana hair salon and Martin's newsagent before he was finally arrested.

It happened at around 8.30pm on Saturday February 19.

Thompson, of Flaxen Road, Chingford, has been bailed and will be sentenced on Tuesday April 19 at Thames Magistrates Court.

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