A HEARTBROKEN little girl has received the best possible birthday present - the return of her stolen pet dog.

Olivia Cragg, nine, was left devastated after thieves stole her dad Paul's van without realising that it contained the two-year-old springer spaniel Meg.

Mum Gillian and Paul offered a reward for the dog's return as Olivia was having sleepless nights without her pet.

And within days of the article appearing in the Lancashire Telegraph a woman contacted police after recognising Meg, who had been wandering the streets of Accrington.

Meg was reunited with the delighted family, from Goldfield Avenue, Burnley, on Friday in time for Olivia's birthday on Sunday.

Fortunately she had been fitted with an indentichip, a microchip the size of a grain of rice which contains identification information and allowed the police to trace her rightful owners.

Mrs Cragg, who works at the Skipton Building Society, said: "We are so happy to have her back, it was like losing a member of the family.

"We were so relieved to get her back on Friday because it was my daughter's birthday at the weekend.

"She was so upset at losing the dog and this made her weekend."

She added: "She found the dog on Wednesday. We think she had been wandering the streets near the woman's house.

"The police gave us her details and we went to pick her up.

"The woman said that she had read the story in the paper and heard it on the radio and managed to link the picture with the dog."

Meg was in a white Ford Transit van when it was stolen from Glen View Road, Burnley, on Monday June 4.

The van, whose registration is MT51ZZX, has not been found and anyone with information should call police on 01282 425001.