Plucky residents caught a thief red-handed - as he tried to climb through a window in broad daylight.

Bungling burglar Jay Hedges was spotted clambering on the first floor flat roof of a house in Gillingham.

The 26-year-old - who was wearing black socks on his hands - was halfway through an upstairs bedroom window.

Hedges tried to escape - by jumping onto the ground - but was cornered by a resident who held him until police arrived.

The incident happened in St John's Road, Gillingham, at around 11am on August 5.

Hedges, of Chelmar Road, Chatham, has now been jailed for 60 days after pleading guilty to burglary at Medway Magistrates' Court.

Today, investigating officer DC Chris Weatherstone paid tribute to the quick-thinking residents who caught him.

He said: "This was clearly a bungled attempt at a burglary and thanks to the vigilance of local residents.

"Hedges was caught red handed trying to climb through an upstairs window.

"While offences such as this remain rare in Medway, we are keen to remind people to make sure that all windows and doors are secure when you are out of your property.

"Opportunistic thieves will look for small openings that may give them access to either a house or car.

"Hedges has clearly shown no regard for people's property and thanks to the quick-thinking of residents and the swift arrival of officers he was arrested soon after the incident and has now been dealt with at court."

Do you know who the hero who cornered Hedges? E-mail us atmultimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk.