A FLAG which was stolen during the 1966 World Cup has been handed in to The Northern Echo by the man who took it - more than half a century after the theft was discovered.

The Soviet Union flag was being flown outside Durham University sports centre, where the country was training for the football World Cup, which was held in England in July 1966.

But following the match between Italy and Chile at Roker Park in Sunderland, Alex Henderson, the warden of the sports centre, reported it missing.

Durham Police launched an investigation, but the flag was never found.

The Northern Echo:

Remarkably, 51 years after the flag was stolen, it was handed into to The Northern Echo's Priestgate office in Darlington yesterday morning.

The man who took the flag asked to remain anonymous, and said it had been stored in his home for the last 50 years.

He said he had decided now was the right time to return the flag because he had no one to pass it onto.

Asked why he stole the flag in the first place, the man said it was a "spur of the moment thing".

"It was a Friday night and the Russians had been playing at Middlesbrough," he said.

"I was on my way home and I saw the flag flying on the pole, and it was just a spur of the moment thing.

"I have never done anything with it, so I decided to hand it back and hopefully it can go back to the original owners."

The Soviet Union flag which disappeared was the second to be flown outside the Russian training headquarters during the tournament.

The first was hurriedly replaced when it was found to be much smaller than the Italian flag which was being flown across the road.

The 1966 World Cup saw six games held in the North East, featuring the Soviet Union, North Korea, Italy and Chile.

Three of those games were held at Roker Park, which was the home of Sunderland until the Stadium of Light opened in 1997.

The other three games were played at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough's home until the Riverside Stadium was opened in 1995.

Roker Park also hosted a quarter final in the tournament, which saw the Soviet Union beat Hungary 2-1.

Durham Police said they were "pleased" the flag had been returned, and they were no longer carrying out an investigation into its whereabouts.