AN 82-year-old has revealed how he defended himself with a pair of garden sheers after crooks posing as carers attempted to force their way into his Southend home.

Arthur Woodward, a resident in Bournemouth Park Road, was targeted in a “vile” aggravated burglary which saw two people allegedly dressed as carers coerce him into opening his front door.

The two men were allegedly armed with a pocket-knife and threatened to burgle the victim’s home. However Arthur, who refused to back down, grabbed a pair of garden sheers and forced the attackers back out of his home before calling the police.

He suffered a cut on his arm during the encounter and has been badly shaken up since. No arrests have been made and Essex Police is appealing for witnesses to come forward.

He said: “I’ve come out of hospital and was getting carers, so I thought these people were carers.

“It was two men who approached my home, banging on the door. I opened the door cautiously and they pushed their way in and one man produced some kind of knife and slashed my shirt. I told them to get out and as soon as I saw the blade I hit him. It is a frightening thing, but I handled them with a pair of sheers, I would’ve done anything to get rid of them.

“Other people wouldn’t be able to do something like this, they did damage, but did not get whatever they were after, they didn’t go far. I was badly shaken up, though, and one of them had a carer’s uniform and a blue lanyard with some kind of badge, I thought they were carers until they shoved their way in.”

Mr Woodward said impersonating carers “annoys him” and hopes they “don’t try it on with other vulnerable people.”

A police spokesman said: “Nothing was stolen and two suspects ran from the scene. One of the suspects is described to officers as a black man in his late 30s wearing a navy-blue overcoat. The second suspect is described to us aged in his late 40s and of middle eastern appearance.

“Officers are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything in the area on Friday or may have any dashcam or CCTV from the area which could assist, to contact us quoting incident number 42/136214/24.”