MEET Mitch and Duke . . . they're real VIPs (Very Important Pooches). They got lost during a walk in the park and were missing for three days.

But they returned home in style -- chauffeur driven in the back of a Rolls Royce.

Phyllis Mortimer and her granddaughter Katie Donlan had let Mitch, a Shihtzu, and Duke, a Yorkshire terrier, off their leads in Darcy Lever. The dogs ran off -- and did not come back.

Despite a frantic search, Phyllis and Katie returned home without their much-loved pets.

Mrs Mortimer said: "We searched and searched and eventually had to give up. We were really worried. We could not find the dogs, despite ringing the RSPCA and the police."

Three days later, the family had almost given up hope when they received a phone call from a Good Samaritan motorist.

He had spotted the dogs running around on the busy St Peter's Way dual carriageway in Bolton and had ushered them to safety inside his Rolls.

Then he recognised that they matched the description of two pets advertised as lost in the Bolton Evening News.

He telephoned the grateful owners -- and drove the adventurous duo home to Whiteoak View, Darcy Lever, in the best possible style.

The man, who has shunned the limelight and remained anonymous, refused a reward, saying he had been through a similar experience himself in the past.

He said: "It is really horrible to lose your dog. I was just glad to help."

Mrs Mortimer said: "I have had Duke for eight years and Katie had Mitch as a birthday present when she was a little girl. To get them back is such a relief."