A SECURITY guard has been praised for tackling a suspected thief who is believed to have stolen from the charity collection at the Princess Royal University Hospital.

A man is thought to have reached over the reception desk at the facility in Farnborough and scarpered with the cash, which was meant for good causes. 

Mobile driver Lee Jeffrey followed the person outside of the hospital and reasoned with him.

Mr Jeffrey, who has worked in the hospital security department for eight years, said: "I chased him down the street and talked him into giving the money back. First of all he denied it.

"We do get people stealing from collection boxes in the hospital quite a bit."

Security manager, Len Jeffrey, who is also Lee’s father, said: "I’m really proud of him and the whole team.

"They deal with so many issues on a daily basis and they don’t often get praise."