An Ayrshire vets was saved from a break-in thanks to a heroic neighbour who stopped a hammer thug in his tracks.
Morning surgeries at Mainshill Veterinary Centre had to be axed after the operating theatre was left covered in broken glass.
Staff at the vets say they owe it to a brave 68-year-old man for stopping the crook from getting into the practice.
The man, who did not wish to be named, was alerted to noise coming from the vets around 6.50am on Monday, January 31 after his dogs started barking.
He then jumped down with a torch to inspect what was going on before coming face-to-face with the intruder.
The brave neighbour told Ayrshire Live: “The dogs just wouldn’t stop barking.
“The woman through the wall chapped on the interior wall and said she thought the noise was coming from the vets and she heard glass breaking.
“I thought I’ll just go round and have a check of the place.
“When I walked round the side I was faced with this figure all dressed in black.
“The window was broken and there was a claw hammer and a baseball bat lying on the ground.
“I just roared at him, I don’t know who got the bigger fright, him or me.
“I said 'What the f**k are you doing here?' he panicked and flew round the side of me.
“He was in all black, he was wearing a black hoodie and his hands were up on his face.
“He was roaring and shouting back at me when he ran off.
“When I saw the hammer and the baseball bat I was really worried. It wasn’t a nice thing to have to deal with. It was very frightening.”
Staff at the vets arrived to a trail of destruction with glass covering the operating theatre floor and car park.
Amy Barras, a vet nurse at the practice said: “We’ve never had anything like this happen before. It was a real nuisance because we had to clean up the mess that was left behind.
“We had to cancel all the morning operations and reschedule them.
Amy, who lives in Stair, added: “We are very grateful to the neighbour who prevented this from being any worse.
“They were left shaken by the incident but they went out and shouted at them before they could both get in.”
The break-in bid comes as residents in the village were targeted by yobs ‘trying doors’ and smashing up property including cars and plant pots.
Cops are now probing all the incidents after confirming receiving reports of an attempted break-in and damage to property across Coylton.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police received a report of an attempted break-in at a premises on Joppa in Coylton around 6.50am on Monday, January 31.
“Further reports were received of damage to properties in the Joppa area of Coylton later that morning.
“Enquiries into the incidents are ongoing.”
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