A 61-year old man confronted a burglar armed with a garden tool after finding him in his home in Chigwell on Friday (July 3).

The man returned home at 2pm to find the intruder ransacking his property in Gravel Lane.

A confrontation took place between the two men, where the suspect was armed with a hammer and the victim had a garden rake.

The burglar chased the victim down Gravel Lane, leaving him with a slight injury to his left hand caused by the weapon.

Despite breaking a rear window and conducting a messy search of the home the man got away empty handed.

Police are appealing for help in identifying the burglar, who is described as white, 5ft 7ins tall, with short mousy coloured hair, was of Eastern European appearance wearing brown combat trousers, a dark top and carrying a duffel bag.

Anyone with information is asked to contact officers at Chigwell on 0300 333 4444.