This is the bizarre moment a British pensioner was arrested after stealing his next door neighbour's mattress.

Sydney Edward, 72, and wife Phensako Nasok, 45, broke into the room in Pattaya, Thailand, while the owner – who had also been their friend –was on holiday.

The victim, identified only as Stephen, 66, returned home from a trip to Cambodia and was stunned to find his bed had been nabbed - along with 126,000 Baht (3,000GBP) that he had hidden.

Staff at the apartment block checked CCTV and immediately identified Sydney and his Thai wife, who were arrested and taken on a crime re-enactment yesterday (Wednesday) morning.

The couple told police they were desperate for money and stole the mattress because they had been sleeping on the floor.

Sydney said: ''We needed the mattress because we have nothing to sleep on. I haven't spent any of the money and we can return it. I'm sorry that we did this.''

Phensako told police the couple had been friends with the neighbour and she ''didn't think he would mind''. She added: ''We do not want to have a problem with him. We don't have any money and we knew he has a lot.''

The couple initially denied the theft but confessed when they were shown CCTV of them breaking the door open then dragging out the double mattress.

Lieutenant Colonel Apichai Krobtech, head of the police force in the popular tourist city, said the couple acted as a team while committing the burglary.

He said: ''The wife was checking down the corridor while the man broke the door open then stole the mattress and cash from the victim.''