A police officer has followed in her ancestor's footsteps when she stopped a pony on the loose in Beddington Lane, Sutton.

PC Stephanie Merville grabbed hold of the pony's harness as it was running among traffic and led it safely to the pavement on Thursday last week.

The pony had escaped from its field along Beddington Lane and caused a traffic build up as it run up and down the road.

PC Merville then led the pony back to its field next to ASDA in Marlow way and contacted the owner to explain what had happened.

She said: "Fortunately traffic had slowed down but it could have caused a major delay for drivers if we hadn’t got the pony under control quickly.

Before the team left, PC Merville quickly nicknamed the male pony Bobby.

But PC Merville inadvertently followed in her great, great grandfather's footsteps, albeit with a much better outcome.

Wandsworth-based PC Henry Randolph Donaldson attempted to stop a horse that was running loose in South London in 1889.

But the officer was hurt during the encounter and died from his injuries two years later in 1891 aged 49.