A red balloon which escaped the grip of an excited child visiting Santa in Cromer has turned up 570 miles away in Sweden.

Jarrold's store in the town gives the balloons to youngsters attending its grotto on Christmas lights switch on night.

But the shop was amazed to get an email from a photographer in southern Sweden saying he had found one while exploring a local forest for pictures.

Patric Ivan contacted the store saying: 'I was out on one of my everyday expeditions and saw this red thing on the ground. 'Crazy people, who throw their litter all around', I thought...

'Then I saw that it was a little deflated balloon with the text Jarrold on it. And it thought it was so cool that this little thing managed to fly all the way from England's east coast and Cromer.

'All of a sudden the UK didn�t feel far away at all! I thought it was a fun thing, so I wrote you,' said Mr Ivan, who lives in a village called Bararyd near the town of Gislaved.

He also added 'Since I love books, I will pop in next time in the UK.'

Jarrold's Cromer store co-manager Anna Davies said around 300 balloons were given away during the festive fun on December 2, but just as gifts, not as a race.

'One must have escaped and it is brilliant to learn it has travelled that far,' she added.

The distance covered, heading towards Santa's 'home' in Lapland, was about 920 km or 570 miles.