An East Cambridgeshire family were left terrified after five men in balaclavas armed with a knife attempted to burgle their home in broad daylight. 

The family, who have chosen to remain anonymous, said the attempted break-in at their Chettisham home on October 5 left them feeling "concerned for their safety". 

Jonathan Pilling*, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said his 12-year-old son was home alone when five men "clad in black clothing" and "wearing balaclavas" parked in front of the property.  

He told the Ely Standard: "My son said he heard a loud bang on the back door and thought it was a delivery at first, so he went upstairs to look out of the window when he was met with five people trying to break down the door. 

"One of them was carrying a large knife. I can't imagine how he must've felt looking down and and seeing a group of five strangers trying to enter the house and not knowing what they were going to do.

"Luckily, his mum managed to get home first and, although he was scared, something kicked in that enabled him to get our address and call the police."

Mr Pilling said the attempted break-in has left him and his family feeling "fearful" and has since taken "drastic action" in a bid to improve home security. 

He added: "We're keeping the curtains drawn and have shut all the windows and replaced the key locks.

"The lock on the back door has been replaced, we've added a new padlock to the back gate and we're getting a CCTV camera installed in case they decide to come back. 

"I just can't understand why of all the houses and on a Saturday in broad daylight, five men felt it necessary to try and break in." 

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: "We were called at about 12pm on Saturday (5 October) with reports of an attempted burglary at an address in Lynn Road, Chettisham, Cambridgeshire.

"Officers attended but the suspects had left the scene.

"An investigation has been launched and police are appealing for anyone with information to get in touch online or via 101 quoting reference: 35/72785/24."