eggs near the village of Capel, Surrey

They were looking for

This is the extraordinary moment quick-thinking children on an Easter egg hunt thought of an ingenious way to alert a police helicopter to two fleeing suspected robbers.

When the youngsters spot the National Police Air Service hot on the pursuit of potential criminals, the group of six to 12-year-olds lie down in the shape of an arrow as a handy guide to officers.

The children find themselves joining in the hunt for something quite different than a few chocolaty treats near the village of Capel in southern Surrey.

That way! Quick-thinking children on an Easter egg hunt think of an ingenious way to alert a police helicopter to two fleeing suspected robbers

Officers had been dispatched to respond to reports of a burglary.

The helicopter cameraman locates two men running in opposite directions through the field.

Presumably he loses sight of one of them, but then he spots and pans to a group of children.

They are on the floor of the field pointing in the direction of the lost man.

Switching to thermal the camera swiftly finds the hidden suspect in the trees.

The two men, aged 27 and 28, were then quickly arrested by officers on the ground on suspicion of burglary.

The helicopter camera pics up the children lying down in the field pointing towards two suspected robbers

Swift thinking: The group of six to 12-year-olds lie down near the village of Capel in southern Surrey

DO YOU KNOW THESE CHILDREN? Do you know any of these quick-thinking children? Get in touch via joseph.curtis@mailonline.co.uk or call 020 3615 1697

They have since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

NPAS Sergeant Paul Sochon said: 'I'm sure the last thing the group of daring Capel residents expected when they set out on Friday afternoon was to abandon their Easter egg hunt to assist us in a police search.

'But the initiative they demonstrated proved to be invaluable.

Caught on camera: The helicopter manages to track down a suspect in the woods using thermal mode

'The swift action taken by the group of parents and their children was the sort of thing you would usually associate with an Enid Blyton adventure but their ingenuity proved a great help for our crews.'

Anyone who witnessed the incident or with any information should call Surrey Police on 101, quoting reference 45160024070.