Jamie Oliver 'chases home intruder down street and pins him down'

'Everyone is really thankful for his quick thinking and courage,' says neighbour

Oliver has five children with his wife, Jools Oliver, and the family was reportedly at home at the time of the incident (Getty)

Jamie Oliver has been lauded by neighbours after he caught an “aggressive” intruder at his house, according to reports.

The celebrity chef was said to have chased the suspect down the street and pinned him down until the police arrived.

The 43-year-old lives in a house valued at £8.9m on the same road as supermodel Kate Moss in Highgate, north London.

According to the Daily Mirror, the suspect had attempted to break into other houses nearby, including Moss’s before targeting Oliver’s.

One neighbour told the tabloid the chef was “brave” and “selfless”.

“Despite the clearly very hairy situation, Jamie was laughing and joking with the coppers saying they’d done a great job to arrive so quickly after the 999 call,” the witness said.

“Everyone is really thankful for his quick thinking and courage.”

Oliver has five children with his wife, Jools Oliver, and the family was reportedly at home at the time of the incident.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At 7.13pm on Tuesday, 4th of September, police were called to reports of an aggressive male attempting to gain entry to residential addresses in N6.

“The male was apprehended by members of the public and was ­subsequently detained by police.

“He was taken to a north London police station where he remains at this time. Officers from Central North Command Unit are investigating.”

A spokesperson for Oliver declined to comment.

The chef announced on Monday he was entering into a partnership with Tesco, seven years after his deal with its competitor Sainsbury’s ended.

His previous supermarket collaboration ran for more than a decade and was estimated to be worth more than £1bn annually.

He said he was on good terms with Sainsbury’s when he departed in 2011, although Mr Oliver had criticised the company for its use of battery chickens.

Oliver said his new job brief was to “come up with delicious, healthier, affordable recipes”. Tesco did not confirm the value of the deal.

The chef has been a high profile health campaigner, regularly backing sugar reduction and anti-obesity drives.

The 43-year-old also runs a business empire spanning recipe books, cooking utensils and restaurants that has run into financial difficulties.

Oliver revealed in August he had had to use almost £13m of his personal fortune to save his Jamie’s Italian restaurant chain.