A family from Ipswich were just going to bed when they were threatened and had their catalytic converter stolen in a "very traumatic" night-time raid.

Mum-of-three Kimberly Clack did not want to come back to her home after the thieves held a "large metal pole" in front of her door during the theft near Landseer Park.

She heard the thieves shortly before going to bed at around 12.20am on Sunday, June 13, and asked her partner Sam Clack to rush downstairs to see what it was.

The 31-year-old then saw the thieves and shouted, "we'll come down and get you" but the three men she claims were undeterred.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Clack family hope they can raise the money to replace their catalytic convertersThe Clack family hope they can raise the money to replace their catalytic converters (Image: Kimberly Clack)

One of the men, dressed all in black with a mask, took a "big metal pole" and then "stood there staring at me".

"I got a shock here and said please leave us alone," she said. "He would just not take his eyes off of me."

"It felt like forever but I think the whole thing was over in three to four minutes.

"I didn't want to come back to my house.

"I went over to them literally naked to my friends and stayed there through the night.

"It was very traumatic for my child. I thought my partner would open the door and the man would attack him and the whole experience was just horrible."

Ms Clack hopes this story can warn other people, who might invest in CCTV or more protection to prevent this kind of theft.

The family, who moved to their council house after living in sheltered accommodation, will struggle to replace the catalytic converter for their hired Toyota Prius.

As they could not afford the excess insurance, the Clack family now has to pay £600 out of their own pockets.

Her partner Sam Clack now has to walk to his minimum wage job while they raise the money to repair their car through Go Fund Me .

Suffolk police confirmed that three males were spotted with crowbars and car-jacks looking around a vehicle, wearing black clothing and wearing black masks with one of the thieves walking towards the house before running away.

Motorists were recently urged to remain vigilant following further catalytic converter thefts from vehicles in north Suffolk last month.

Cars and vans were targeted during a spate of catalytic converter thefts in Lowestoft, Oulton Broad, Carlton Colville, Southwold, Halesworth, Beccles, Brampton, Worlingham, Stradbroke and Stuston.