A 92-YEAR-OLD man has told how he foiled a burglary at his family’s business by shouting at a gang of yobs as they kicked in a door.

But Dennis Pegg, from Aldeburgh, said he was left frustrated when he called police because they did not appear to be taking him seriously.

Police apologised yesterday for not sending officers to the scene, saying there was a misunderstanding over the call.

Mr Pegg is the son of the founder of JT Pegg & Sons and still lives next to the Park Road workshops of the family business, which is now run by his son Sam and grandson Dennis.

The Second World War veteran saw a gang of hooded youths trying to break into a building at the award-winning engineering firm at about 7.30pm on Tuesday, July 26.

“There were four yobs and they hopped over my fence and were messing about in the yard, then they started trying to break in to the building,” he said.

“I gave them a shout and told them I would call the police and they they ran off like scalded cats.

“If I had been 20 or 30 years younger, I wouldn’t have cared if there were six of them, I would have been after them.”

Mr Pegg, who lives with his wife Peggy, found a non-emergency number for the police to report the incident.

“He asked if there was any damage and I said ‘no, not much’ and then he asked my birth date and which town I was in.

“When I said ‘Aldeburgh’, he asked ‘which county is that?’ It was very frustrating.

“I thought I would call in case they were still about in town. I don’t think they were Aldeburgh lads.”

The family heard nothing more from the police until yesterday, after the EADT began making inquiries.

Dennis Pegg jnr said: “We’re disappointed with the police. We thought the fact he was 92 meant they might have sent someone out. He was quite shaken by it and quite riled.”

He said the gang had kicked in the door to the workshop, but ran off without anything being stolen.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman confirmed a call had been received but said the handler had difficulty understanding the caller. The incident was recorded as four youths climbing over a fence and walking along Park Road.

This meant the call was classified as an anti-social behaviour incident and was not thought to be a crime and, as police were dealing with another incident nearby at the time, an officer was not immediately sent to the scene.

“We apologise for the confusion as this was not thought to be a crime at the time. We have now sent an officer to the scene,” she said.

She asked anyone with information about the incident to call police on 01473 613500.

JT Pegg & Sons specialises in steel sculptures and is best-known for making Maggi Hambling’s Scallop sculpture on Aldeburgh beach.