TWO defiant cleaning ladies today spoke of how they pinned a burglar against the wall to prevent him escaping and said: "Nobody steals from our school."

The pair were on their regular after-hours mop-up shift at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, when they spotted sneak thief Peter Howieson making his getaway from the sixth-form centre armed with a video recorder.

They pinned him to the wall for more than five minutes until help arrived and he was arrested

One of the cleaners, Susan Taylor, 42, of Darwen, said: "I was hoovering on the middle floor when suddenly the flex became unplugged. It's a long flex and I went downstairs to see what had happened. It didn't register at first, but there he was. He'd caught his foot under it.

"He tried legging it but I thought, 'Nobody steals from my buildings,' and I grabbed him.

"I grabbed the door handle to stop him getting out and we were swinging either side."

Luckily, colleague Elizabeth Hartley, 35, from Little Harwood, was on hand, and between them they kept the intruder pinned to the wall for more than five minutes until help arrived. "We weren't going to let him get away, " Elizabeth said.

While Susan kept a tight grip, Elizabeth called for assistance and caretakers Andy Burgin and Bill Hayhurst rushed to the scene of the struggle, just after 4pm on Wednesday.

The police were called in, but not before QEGS facilities manager Ian Barker and bursar Jeremy Ranford had joined in the melee. Eventually, Howieson was hauled off to the cells at Blackburn police station.

Susan said: "While I had him pinned to the wall he was giving me a sob story about not wanting to go to prison because he had a young family.

"But he knew he'd met his match."

And Susan has good reason for having little sympathy with the intruder -- she was burgled at home recently while she was on holiday.

Cleaning manager Mr Barker said: "They probably broke all the rules, but they were very brave."

At Blackburn magistrates' court yesterday, Howieson, of Formby Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal at the sixth-form annexe in West Park Road.

He was remanded on bail until October 11 after the magistrates ordered the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

A police spokesperson today praised the bravery of the cleaning ladies but warned that people should be careful about tackling burglars.