A BRAVE father has told how he chased three hoodies off his driveway in the early hours of the morning, with the help of his canine companion.

Mark Halfpenny was awake at around 1.30am on Thursday morning (March 19) when he glanced out of an upstairs window to see three men prowling his driveway.

The 44-year-old shouted at the gang through an open window but decided to take matters into his own hands and raced out of his front door in Hillbrow Road, Bromley.

And his faithful 8st German shepherd Sidney wasn't far behind.

The father-of-one said: “I was up with my 10-month old baby when I looked out the window and saw three hooded figures moving about on my driveway.

“I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. It was like a bad dream.

“I screamed out the window at them and then grabbed the dog and ran outside. I didn’t even have time to put my shoes on.

“I had a very, very big dog with me and managed to chase them off down the road.

“The men ran off round the corner and I didn’t chase them too far but I think Sidney barking was enough of a deterrent.

“He can be quite a scary dog when he wants to be.”

News Shopper: Shaking hands on a job well done for Mr Halfpenny and his faithful friend

The managing director added: “Having a youngster and a partner to think about changes your perspective on things.

“If I had been on my own I don’t think I would have chased them off the way I did.”

Sidney, named after Carry On movie star Sid James, has been the family’s pet pooch since he was a puppy five years ago.

The hero hound was bought as a 30th birthday present for Mr Halfpenny’s partner, Liz Salter.

“I wouldn’t have gone downstairs without him,” Mr Halfpenny explained.

“I thought there might have been more than three of them but with Sidney with me I didn’t think too much about that.

“Looking back they could have injured someone, anything could have happened.

“Luckily the police were out very quickly and were fantastic at dealing with the situation.”

Police were called to the scene after reports that a group of men were tampering with a black Yamaha motorbike on a neighbouring driveway.

Officers are now hunting the three men in dark clothing and anyone with any information should call Bromley Police on 01689 891 212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.