Raid foiled by laptop in Spain

Mr Ellison was alerted by a call to his mobile phone

A man caught burglars raiding his £600,000 house when his home security system sent CCTV images to his laptop computer as he holidayed in Spain.

John Ellison, 52, from Lancaster, was alerted to the intruders by an automatic call to his mobile phone.

By logging on to his CCTV system he managed to see men turn his house upside down before calling police and watching their arrests live.

Police led two men in handcuffs downstairs and they were later charged.

The thieves had smashed his conservatory window to get into the property on 7 September.

The men smashed their way into Mr Ellison's conservatory

Mr Ellison, a company director, watched on his £20,000 security system from Malaga as the men worked their way through the house doing £12,000 of damage.

Mr Ellison said: "The alarm system rang my mobile and when I logged on, I saw three men hurrying through the house doing damage," said the company director.

"Then I saw the police go upstairs and saw them come down with two men in handcuffs.

"Anyone thinking about doing this now has a serious deterrent. I'm extremely delighted with the system."

Mark Johnson, 46, and Ian McClements, 20, admitted burglary at Lancaster Magistrates Court on 8 September.

They are due to be sentenced on 5 October.