Burglars eye up Preston Capes house while owners sleep

The last time homeowner Paul, who did not want to give his surname, came face-to-face with intruders was when three drunk men set off the house's CCTV security monitoring system several months ago.

It meant that when he was called again by his security company early on Sunday morning - he thought little of it.

Little did he know there were three men outside the house with screwdrivers and crowbars in hand.

"The first case we had was when three guys were fighting in the garden, so I thought 'what's this then?'" said Paul.

Paul's house is monitored by a security company who contact him if there is a threat detected on the CCTV after alerting the police.

On Sunday, Paul was called at 1.10am and told there were three men in his garden, wearing ski masks and what look like stockings.

Instead of watching the live images, Paul chose to go downstairs and investigate - but he did not see anything unusual.

"I looked at the CCTV the following morning and watched them walking around trying door after door," said Paul.

"And then the rain started to throw down and they surged off into the darkness."

"The police arrived within minutes," he added.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said the attempted burglary was being investigated.

Anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or, if they would prefer to remain anonymous, they can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.