DRAMATIC CCTV footage has revealed the moment a man - dressed only in his underwear - chased away a pair of moped thieves.

Two men can be seen removing the protective sheet from the Piaggio MP3 LT Yourban bike at a house in Basildon while the other waited on a moped at the end of the drive.

They took some time to check the area before attempting to take the bike.

The thieves suddenly scarpered when they saw the lights turn on inside the house.

The owner, a 28-year-old windows surveyor, rushed out of the property in only his underwear, holding an iron bar.

The suspect quickly jumped back on the bike the duo arrived on and sped away from the homeowner.

The man, who asked not to be identified, told The Mail he was outraged the suspects had attempted to “steal somebody’s hard work”.

He said: “I was pretty sure that this would happen one day, so when I heard a moped engine I knew what was going on.

“I quickly grabbed a piece of pipe that I use as a door stop and chased them out in my underwear.

“Unfortunately, I did not manage to catch him.”

Shortly after the thieves had escaped, the man dialled 999.

Officers quickly arrived and carried out a search of the surrounding area, however, they were unable to locate them.

The victim was unable to describe the suspects as they were wearing helmets throughout the incident.

Unfortunately the CCTV camera was unable to get the licence plate of the moped the thieves arrived in.

The victim added that burglaries and robberies were a common occurrence in his area of Basildon, with someone attempting to get into his house a year ago.

If you have any information that could help police in finding the thieves, please call 101.

Alternatively you can contact the charity Crimestoppers UK 100 per cent by calling 0800 555111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org