A GRANDFATHER has said that he fought off knife-wielding thieves by kicking one with a martial arts move.

Mike White, 72, from Hillside Avenue in Blaenavon, was at home with wife Lynn, 65, when they were disturbed by knocking.

He said: “At about midnight there were a couple of knocks on the front door. I opened the door and there were two young men who I didn’t recognise wearing hoodies. My first thought was that they were looking for friends but they came to the wrong house, because that has happened before.

“Then one said ‘Have you got keys for me?’ To which I said ‘What keys?’ He replied ‘Car keys’ as though it was obvious. I said ‘You’ve got the wrong house.’ Then he took a step forward onto the doorstep and the one who was stood behind him brought out a large knife.

“I still had a hand on the door handle and hadn’t closed the door fully, so I took a step back and kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could.”

Mr White has never done any martial arts but he has always had an interest in them. His daughter used to take judo lessons and his granddaughter used to do taekwondo and he after time spent watching them some of the moves have stayed with him.

He added: “Basically I did a taekwondo-style kick which is all to do with balance. I have never done one before but basically it was the simplest way to deal with him and to get him off balance and then I was going to slam the door as hard as I could.

“When you’re faced with a shocking incident you either freeze for a moment and you’re in trouble or your brain works very quickly and you make a decision, fortunately for me I made that decision.

“He went backwards and the next thing I know is I was able to shut the door so he must have gone back out of the doorway.”

The thieves tried to get back into the house but Mr White was determined that they would not get into his home.

He said: “Before the door was completely closed one of them was trying to push it open and stop me closing it, but I am heavier than him and I managed to get the door shut and lock it.

“They were banging on the door and I shouted ‘You’re not coming in here.’ Then I didn’t hear them again after that. I went around the house and made sure the doors and windows were locked and by that time Lynn had called the police.”

Mrs White is disabled and Mr White often takes the family dogs for late night walks. Had the men have come at another time he worries about what would have happened to his wife.

He said: “I hadn’t taken the dogs for a walk so my wife could have been on her own. She wouldn’t have let them willingly and she would have probably got hurt in the process of stopping them.”

“I am extremely angry.” he added. “There are a lot of our generation and older that live around here, but there are also women with children here.”

“It’s not going to change us. We are not just old people we are people who have been through an awful lot of things in our lives. This is just one more of them.

“I should have said ‘Who are you?’ before I opened the door and if they are not prepared to tell me who they are or what they want I shouldn’t open the door.”

Gwent Police are investigating this incident and are appealing for anyone who has information or anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area just before midnight.

The two males are both described white, in their 20s around 5ft 7in tall and both wearing hooded tops.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Gwent Police on 101 quoting log 1 7/11/17.