CAR thieves thought their luck was in when they snatched Gweneth and Frank Duke's motor.

Instead they were almost given ruff justice when they ended up with an unexpected back-seat passenger.

For they failed to realise black Labrador Max was on the back seat.

Gweneth and Frank, from Droylsden, Manchester, had been looking after the dog while its owners were on holiday.

Frank, 68, a retired textile worker, put Max in the back of his car to take him for a stroll and started to drive off, but nipped back inside the house because he had forgotten the poop-scoop bags.

He said: "I left the keys in the engine while I ran back in the house to get them and when I came back out the car was gone. I must have been gone just 40 seconds but that was all it took."

Father-of-two Frank and Gweneth, also 68, were looking after Max while their eldest son Richard, 41, went on holiday with his wife and two children.

Gweneth said: "Neighbours told us they saw it speeding down the street and knew by the way it was being driven that it couldn't be my husband behind the wheel.

"We called the police and told them what had happened and later that day, at about 2.30pm, we got a call to say that they thought they may have found Max."

Police said a family saw a man taking a dog into a park off Delamere Street in Ashton then emerging without it and closing the gates behind him.

Concerned that something was wrong, they went into the park and found Max locked inside.

Gweneth continued: "They told us the people who had found him had taken him to their house. We arranged to go around to collect him.

"He was in wonderful hands. The family had three children and their own dog, so they had looked after and even fed him for us."

Mr and Mrs Duke got Max back in time for the return of their son and daughter-in-law when they arrived back in Britain and 12-year-old granddaughter Danielle was delighted to be reunited with her pet.

The family have now returned with Max to their home in Hampshire.

The car was found burned out but police hope the thief was caught on CCTV cameras as he dumped Max in the park.