A hero Hillingdon neighbour helped a 92-year-old WW2 veteran get his TV back 19 months after his home was ransacked.

Pensioner Bill Rowell was "very happy" to get his 40 inch TV back after his house was broken into in February 2016.

Several items were stolen from Mr Rowell's home and to start with police had little information with which to trace the thief.

But vital information provided by a good Samaritan neighbour led to a successful conviction and to Mr Rowell's TV being returned.

According to police, the neighbour said they'd spotted a suspicious vehicle in the area just before the break in and passed its details on to police.

Officers were able to trace the car back to an incident where a driver made off from a petrol station without paying for fuel. CCTV from the garage was used to identify the suspect and led to his arrest and subsequent 30-month court sentence,

A heart-warming Instagram post shows Mr Rowell and DC Imane, the detective in charge of his case, both holding the returned TV.

A Hillingdon Police spokesman wrote: "DC Imane from Hillingdon CID got to deal with one of the best parts of being a police officer recently – returning property to its rightful owner.

"Back in February 2016 Mr Rowell, a World War Two pensioner, had his house broken into. Several items were taken, one of which was a 40 inch TV.

"DC Imane took on the case which, at first glance, had very little opportunities to identify the suspect.

"Luckily an attentive neighbour had noticed a suspicious vehicle in the area prior to the break in and passed the details on to police.

"This led to a jigsaw of evidence being pieced together, tracking the vehicle back to an incident where the driver made off without payment after filling the car with fuel.

"CCTV from the forecourt of the petrol station helped to identify the suspect and he was arrested on February 26, before being charged and convicted. He was later handed a 30 month sentence at court.

"Officers attended the suspect’s home address after his arrest and recovered the TV which has now been returned to its rightful, and very happy, owner."