Lord Alan Sugar burglar drama as gang are arrested after dumping car yards from luxury £2.5m mansion ‘following police chase’

A gang of suspected thieves crashed their car just yards from Lord Sugar’s luxury home while being pursued by police on Wednesday night.

The billionaire businessman presenter of BBC One show The Apprentice is said to have been at home when the dramatic incident took place near his property on the same road.

The police chase followed reports of multiple break-ins and attempted burglaries around Loughton and Chigwell in Essex.

Officers rushed to the scene following a recent report of ‘a burglary in progress’ in Chigwell and saw a vehicle had just driven away from the scene.

They then began pursuing a car on a nearby road, known for its high-value properties and an exclusive residential area for many multi-millionaires.

The car apparently skidded to a halt moments later in a crossing near the home of billionaire businessman Lord Sugar, 78, and his wife Ann.

The occupants are thought to have fled on foot before police arrived and found the vehicle abandoned.

Officers later arrested an 18-year-old man from Northamptonshire on suspicion of burglary following a search of the area on Wednesday night.

Lord Sugar’s spokesman confirmed he was at home at the time of the incident

Lord Sugar and his wife, who married in 1968, have lived in the area since 1981 and originally owned an £8.5 million home on ten acres, including a swimming pool and tennis court.

But the couple are said to have downsized and have more recently been living in a smaller house around the corner, which they bought for £2.25 million in January 2021.

At least two of his three adult children are also believed to live nearby.

Video taken by a nearby neighbor showed the abandoned suspect car parked at a right angle in a property’s driveway, surrounded by police cars with blue lights flashing.

Police teams then closed the roads and diverted traffic, and an effort was launched to catch suspected thieves in the area.

The neighbor reported that skid marks were seen on the road where the car driven by the suspects stopped screaming.

The car is believed to have stopped without hitting any gates or boundary walls.

A neighbor told the Daily Mail that one of the properties targeted was a hostel for international students at Chigwell School, a nearby independent co-educational school.

Officers rushed to the scene following a recent report of ‘a burglary in progress’ in Chigwell and found a vehicle having just left the scene before it was later dumped.

A dozen female boarders in Year 12, understood to be Chinese and Polish nationals, were said to have been terrified and “burst into tears” after a male burglar broke into their home.

‘The girls were all herded into a room and he hid there while he went through the cupboards before stealing money and jewellery.

‘Then suddenly she left the property and began running from garden to garden, throwing away pieces of clothing as she went.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Chigwell School for comment.

A spokesman for Lord Sugar confirmed he was at home at the time of the incident, which took place ‘a few doors down’ from his property.

Her family has lost a planning battle to demolish her old mansion in 2022 and replace it with a new mansion with a yoga studio, hair and make-up salon and cocktail bar.

Planning chiefs at Epping Forest District Council refused approval after deciding the proposed new property was too large and contravened Green Belt development rules.

Chigwell Parish Council also opposed the plans submitted by daughter Louise. Ward councilors described them as ‘inappropriate’ and an ‘overdevelopment’ of the area.

Lord Sugar was given approval in March 2020 to demolish his 1908 home and replace it with two new homes.

Lord Sugar has lived in an £8.5million house in the area since 1981

BBC Apprentice businessman at loggerheads with local council over housing plans

The new application has been made to build a single new house on the site, with a four-bedroom garage block above it as staff accommodation.

An architect’s drawing showed that the new home would also have an entertainment lounge, a TV room and a large dining room, as well as a room devoted to Lord Sugar’s Bernedoodle dog named Winston, a cross between a poodle and a Bernese Mountain Dog.

The tough-talking businessman lost another battle with his local council in 2023 after plans to build a new gated entrance and driveway at his former mansion were scrapped.

Council officials decided the plan represented an ‘inappropriate’ and ‘harmful’ intrusion into Metropolitan Green Belt land.

Lord Sugar received better news last year when the council approved plans to build a new seven-block garage complete with electric vehicle chargers at his former home, submitted by his daughter.

An Essex Police spokesman said: ‘Officers responding to several reports of burglaries and attempted burglaries in the Loughton and Chigwell areas made an arrest and are continuing inquiries.

‘Following the last of these calls reporting a burglary in progress at an address in Chigwell at around 7.25pm ​​on Wednesday 8 October, officers quickly responded.

‘A vehicle was said to have driven away from the scene. Police teams followed the vehicle, which was found abandoned nearby, a short time later.

‘After a search in the area, 1 suspect was caught. An 18-year-old man from Northamptonshire is being held for questioning on suspicion of theft. Our questions continue.

‘We are treating the theft as a force priority and an investigation led by CID detectives is progressing.’

Anyone with information is asked to contact Essex Police by calling 101, submitting a report on the force’s website or using the online Live Chat service.