A dad woke up to find two balaclava-clad thugs trying to break into his home while his wife and children slept upstairs.

John Lewis had been asleep on his sofa in the early hours of the morning at his home in Ashford when he was alerted by the family's dog barking.

To his horror, he watched as two men tried to open the bi-fold doors to the house and enter it.

But when Mr Lewis went to confront the would-be intruders, they fled the scene by escaping under a loose fence panel.

Police descended on the home in Bucksford Lane, Singleton, and a dog unit tried to track them down.

However, the two suspects are still at large and the incident has meant Mr Lewis has been forced to spend about £5,000 on new security measures.

The terrifying incident, which left his children in tears, happened shortly after 2am on Tuesday and police are now appealing for information.

"I opened my eyes and there were two men in balaclavas at my bi-fold doors..."

Mr Lewis, 38, had been sleeping downstairs when the attempted break-in happened.

"I don’t sleep very well and so I don’t keep my wife awake, I sleep on the sofa quite a lot," he said.

"I have a dog who is very cuddly, who sleeps down by my feet.

"At 2.05am on Tuesday, my dog barked.

"I opened my eyes and there were two men in balaclavas at my bi-fold doors."

He says one of them was peering into the home while the other was trying the handle.

"I immediately jumped from the sofa and started screaming," said Mr Lewis, who works as a transport manager.

"I was trying to get the door open. I don’t know what part of me was thinking this, but I thought it would be great to go out there.

"My adrenaline was so high and I couldn’t get the door open.

"By the time I did, they had run across the garden and gone underneath a fence panel which was raised in the air."

Three police cars arrived at the scene within minutes, including a dog unit.

But the two thugs managed to get away and have not yet been caught.

Mr Lewis says his wife and three children had been asleep upstairs when the men tried to gain entry.

And he says the impact the incident has had on his kids has made him angry.

"I had to put my children to sleep crying," he said.

"They had been woken by their dad absolutely hollering and the police being in their home after 2.05am because there had been two guys in your back garden - it freaked them out.

"My children put on a brave face that day. We kept them off school and they were tired because they had been woken in the night.

"My youngest daughter wouldn’t go and brush her teeth by herself, which she normally does.

"The psychological impact on them has angered me the most."

Mr Lewis describes Bucksford Lane as a "lovely, quiet area" where his neighbours "are fantastic" and everyone "watches each other's backs".

He says he believes the two thugs fled in the direction of Homestead and Little Hempen, so is keen to hear from anyone in those areas who has CCTV.

The force has since launched an investigation into the incident and is appealing for information.

"The men made off when seen by an occupant and officers attended and carried out a search of the area," a spokesman said.

"An investigation into the incident is ongoing and anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage is urged to call police."

Witnesses can call the appeal line on 01843 222289, quoting 46/42469/23.