Neighbour foils thieves

Photo / APN

Burglars who underestimated an alert neighbour in Greerton were found hiding in a house they had allegedly just broken into.

The occupants of the Mansel Rd house were away but gave their neighbour a key for emergencies.

At 1am yesterday, the neighbour heard someone climbing through a window and called police.

When they arrived, they could not find any obvious sign of a break-in, acting Senior Sergeant Wayne Lambert said.

But the neighbour offered police the key to get inside.

When they did, men were found hiding under a bed and in a corner of a bedroom.

Two men, 32 and 36, are to appear in Tauranga District Court on burglary charges.