A suspected burglar was arrested after 30 primary school children and their teachers bumped into him returning from a field trip and called the police.

The 54-year-old man, who had allegedly been committing a burglary in Morden, was disturbed and ran out of the house, only to come face to face with the class of 10-year-olds from St Teresa's RC Primary School.

Startled, the man is alleged to have dropped two laptops and fled.

The school party called the police and gave them a description of the man.

A man was later arrested and charged with stealing a laptop, tablet computer, tobacco, a white keyboard and a laptop bag from a house in The Drive.

Appearing in Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Thursday, he was bailed, to appear at Kingston Crown Court on June 24.