Chip the Jack Russell has found his way back home 18 days after bolting from the sound of a rogue firework.

The Argus reported how the four-year-old terrier fled just days after travelling to London with his 12-year-old owner Jamie Bickers to help present a Downing Street petition calling for tougher controls of fireworks.

Jamie's mum, Liz Cook, feared he had died.

But almost three weeks later, the plucky pet has turned up just 100 yards from where he ran off - skinny and scared.

Mrs Cook, 44, a nutrition adviser from Hanover, Brighton, had been walking in Wild Park on November 7 when a firework exploded nearby and Chip fled.

She has no idea where he has been.

She said: "We got a call yesterday from the woman who runs the cafe in Wild Park. I had been there every day trying to find Chip and everyone knew he had gone missing.

"When I saw him, I grabbed him and burst into tears.

"Soon everyone else in the cafe was crying too when they realised what had happened.

"Chip was shell-shocked and shaking. He is skinny and has some scabs on his head but otherwise seems okay. I don't know how he has survived."

During the past three weeks, the family kept up their search but hopes were fading.

Mrs Cook said: "We had had a few false sightings, and once the police contacted us with a terrier but it turned out to be a brown bitch.

"It is almost more heart-breaking when you've got your hopes up only to find out it's not your dog.

"But when my stepdaughter answered the phone, the woman at the cafe told her Chip had his collar on with our address, so we knew it was him.

"I would like to thank The Argus for its help."

The RSPCA wants the Act to ensure only low-noise fireworks under 95 decibels - the sound of a door slamming - can be used at private displays, that fireworks can only be used at certain times of the year without a licence and public displays must be licensed.

The 90,000-signature petition was presented by TV's Top Gear presenter and dog-owner Louise Brady and the Animal Welfare Fireworks Coalition, including The Blue Cross, Guide Dogs and the RSPCA.

It seemed the Fireworks Bill, which received Royal Assent in the House of Lords in September, and comes into effect next month, had come too late for the little dog.