A Swords family endured a horrific ordeal when a chainsaw-wielding gang smashed their way into their home.

The incident happened at the house in the Swords Manor area, when the couple were upstairs putting their young children to bed.

When the gang realised that they were at the wrong house, they stole a number of items including the family car, before making their escape.

Gardai believe the raid last Friday night was a case of mistaken identity and the gang were looking for a rival in the drugs business. No arrests have been made in the case as yet.

The attack on the innocent couple has shocked locals.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the Herald that the sound of breaking glass was the first sign something had happened.

"We went up to the house, and it was like a scene from Belfast when a bomb went off. I never saw anything like it."

He said the gang had brought blocks with them.

"They threw flagstones through the living room window. They couldn't get through the hall door. They literally smashed through the living room window," he said.

fear

The gang then piled through the window, according to the neighbour.

The family's ordeal lasted a matter of minutes. The gang then ransacked the home before leaving, taking an X-box and a television, according to the neighbour.

"Everybody on the street is afraid," he said. "I have to say the level of fear on the street is unbelievable. They are a lovely family. The oldest of the two children is only five."

He said that it is a quiet area. Gardai maintained a presence outside the house last Friday night.

Local councillor Cllr Darragh Butler said it was a very frightening incident for the family concerned.

"In recent months and years, I am getting more and more concerned about the lack of garda resources," he said.

"We have great guards in Swords, but they are incredibly thinly stretched. They don't have enough resources, they don't have enough manpower.

"You can only imagine how terribly frightened they were," he added.

fdillon@herald.ie

Herald