A dog helped chase away an armed gang after the four-strong group had broken into a family home in Ashford.

Surrey Police has released CCTV footage of the incident, which happened in Chalmers Road at just before 9pm on Thursday, March 14.

A police statement said four masked men entered the property armed with weapons and cleaning spray while the family were at home.

It added: "One of the suspects threatened the residents before a dog came down the hallway and disturbed them. One of the residents managed to chase the suspects off before calling the police. The dog did not suffer any apparent injuries."

Detective Constable Rhian Roberts, who is investigating the incident, said: “This was a frightening ordeal for the family who were at home when four men entered their property and threatened them.

(Image: Surrey Police)

“Nothing was taken from the property and thankfully no one was physically harmed during the incident. The suspects could see lights were on and did not care that there may be people inside the property.

“If you think you have any information about who the suspects could be, please contact us.

“As you can see from the footage, the family had really good CCTV installed at their property which will hopefully help us identify who entered their home."

Police urge the public to follow their safety advice on how to keep your home safe and prevent burglars from entering. To find out more, go to the Surrey Police website here.

Marking your property means that if it is taken, it is easier to recover. To register items, go to the Immobilise website here. And to give your property a forensic marking such as Selecta DNA, go to its website here.

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If you have any information on this break-in that may help police find those responsible, call them on 101 (999 in an emergency) or online here quoting reference PR/ 45190027145.

People can also give information, 100% anonymously, to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111; or through its anonymous online form here.