A PETRIFIED family say they feel unsafe in their own home after waking up to find their CCTV had captured a man trying dozens of front door locks.

Ethan Hill, who lives in Ashingdon Road, Rochford says he has spent a week in a state of panic after taking time to reviewing footage captured with his Ring doorbell.

Mr Hill says it shows a “terrifying” break-in attempt, with a man banging on the front door and trying the lock with a tool.

Mr Hill has worked with Hockley Crimewatch founder Stu Barber, who has used the captured footage of the attempt to raise awareness of how these break-ins can occur and how people can keep themselves safe.

Mr Hill said: “My mum has been going manic about this. We went through our camera footage and saw this, and we have already brought a chain for our door.

“It is quite worrying, and my mum is petrified about this.

“The attempt was on April 10 at 4am. A man came up to our door, it sounded like he was putting something in the lock and turned around to try another door down the road when it didn’t work, like he was a bit spooked.

“There was a break-in further down our road as well. We have been left feeling unsafe in our own home.”

Mr Barber, who has been trying to get the message out there about “casual” break-in attempts, has advised people to ensure that their doors are secured.

He said: “Incidents like this are a warning, I have a CCTV camera and I go through it daily.

“Hockley recently had a bad spate of vehicle thefts. There were 18 vehicle related crimes in February. The March figures were a bit lower but people trying to get into homes and cars were really putting themselves above the line.

“We found this recent situation to be really shocking and if I was to leave people with any home safety advice, it would be to ensure your door is locked and take the key out. We have seen a pattern of doors being improperly locked.”

Essex Police was contacted for comment.