A BUNGLING burglary suspect was caught after a break-in at Tesco when police sniffer dogs followed a half-mile trail of blood to a nearby house.

The man gashed his leg on broken glass at about 4.45am today after smashing in through the front window of the supermarket in Manchester Road, Westhoughton.

Police came and used sniffer dogs to track the suspect by following the trail of blood to a nearby estate.

They eventually caught up with the suspected would-be burglar at 5.01pm, just 16 minutes after the alarm was raised, in Greensbridge Gardens.

The sniffer dogs had followed the trail for half a mile before reaching the suspect, who is now in the Royal Bolton Hospital with a "nasty" gash in his leg.

It is understood that nothing was stolen.

A Tesco spokesman said the incident had shocked them, but thanked the police for their quick work.

Police have arrested a 29-year-old man and a woman on suspicion of burglary.

There was a lot of blood at the scene, according to eyewitnesses, with bloody footprints visible on the car park.

The shop was cordoned off as police investigated, and has been closed to customers for much of the day.

One eyewitness reported seeing a "head-shaped" hole in the glass, with evidence of blood.

Forensic investigations were today scouring the scene for evidence, and police said they will be looking at CCTV footage over the coming days.

A police spokesman said: "The man is currently at the Royal Bolton Hospital being treated for a serious leg injury."

Tesco decided to close the store while police investigated and the scene was cleaned up.

A company spokesman said: "We’ll be assisting the police with any further investigations and working to ensure the store is open again for customers as soon as possible.

"We’re grateful to the police for their work and apprehending the perpetrators so quickly."

The spokesman added that they hoped to reopen this afternoon.

Cllr Christopher Peacock, seeking re-election for Labour in Westhoughton North and Chew Moor, said: "I would like to thank the police for how quickly they have acted, using the tools available to them, to catch this man.

"We have got a really good neighbourhood policing team in Westhoughton and crime here is relatively low.

"People should be vigilant with regards to crime, particularly in the summer months.

"If you do see or hear of anything suspicious, please let the police know immediately."

Cllr Martyn Cox, a Conservative member for Westhoughton North and Chew Moor, said: "I was quite critical of the police last week over the Bolton Road incident, but it is good to see that they have got a good result for this so quickly.

"This just shows that crime does not pay."

Houses and cars were pelted with eggs when a 40-strong gang of men took part in a food fight in the middle of Bolton Road in the early hours of Thursday, April 9.

Anyone with information on the Tesco raid can contact police on 101 or 0161 8565608.