The role of three estate agents who saw a mugging outside their office and gave chase to the thief has been highlighted in court.

Dominic Goodwin, Anton Kerrigan and Brett Howarth saw the female mugger grab a passerby and shove him against the window of their office – Entwistle Green estate agents in Bolton.

The woman snatched some money and made off.

The trio gave chase for half a mile, the woman by this time on the back of a bike being ridden by a man.

The three agents finally caught the pair and kept hold of them until police arrived, despite being threatened with a stabbing.

The mugger, drug addict Tracy Booth, was handed a suspended sentence of 18 months and required to undertake a drug rehabilitation programme.

In a separate incident, two women estate agents gave chase after a pair of men went into their offices and stole a mobile phone.

Loren Telford and Nicole Pringle were working in the Brown and Merry office in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

The chase, down the high street, ended when one of the men threw the phone down.

Administrator Juliette Whittaker, who was also in the office, said she thought the men had targeted the premises when they realised there were only three women in them at the time.