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A video showing a gang of three chainsaw-wielding thugs being tackled by a furious quad bike owner has gone viral.
The brazen yobs were trying to steal the £5,000 Quadzilla machine in broad daylight from outside the Aeromet International factory on the Eurolink Way trading estate at Sittingbourne when the owner, in his 60s, confronted them.
WATCH: Chainsaw thieves tackled by irate quad bike owner
The film, shot on Monday, shows one hooligan in a black anorak trying to smash open the vehicle's lock while another in a red jacket tries to hack through a security chain with a disc-cutter at the front of the machine.
While the saw can be heard grinding away, the bike's furious owner emerges from the factory and confronts the men, one of whom still has the buzzing chainsaw in his hands.
At that point, work colleagues join the owner and the three men run away. They all clamber onto the back of another quad bike which had been parked nearby and speed off over grass and onto the road to make their getaway.
Wayne Heathfield, who runs a car repairers at Queenborough on Sheppey, posted the video which was taken by a colleague. Mr Heathfield said: "The quad is owned by my uncle. This was the second time in a matter of weeks these people have tried to steal it. It is disgusting.
"My uncle is a very quiet man but I wouldn't want to mess with him. He wasn't being brave. He was just doing what he does. He would have waded in, even if it had been someone else's machine."
Mr Heathfield said: "The annoying thing is, he's wanted a quad for a few years and now he has got it, this has happened twice. So now he wants to get rid of it. Even if it was stolen and he made a claim his insurance premium would go up. It's unfair victims of crime always end up paying. I now have it in my garage. It needs a new lock and a plastic fairing."
But he added: "It was so nice to see my uncle's colleagues all stop working to chase them off and give my uncle any back-up if he needed it."
The video was taken from an upstairs window at the factory. The cameraman, who did not want to be identified, said: "I saw the men rushing across the grass with a chainsaw and thought I'd video what they were doing to help the police identify them. They tried to do this before Christmas. They got the motor going but it was all chained up. This time they came armed to cut it free."
He said his mother, who had been parked in the car park, witnessed the attempted theft and called police.
The video has already been viewed more than 13,000 times.
A police spokesman said: "We were called at 3.45pm on Monday to a report that three men were attempting to steal a quad bike at a location on the Eurolink Industrial Centre, Castle Road, Sittingbourne.
"The suspects were challenged by a number of employees and left the scene on another vehicle. Nothing was reported stolen but damage was caused to the bike’s ignition and a chain.
"Officers attended and carried out a search of the local area but were unable to locate those responsible."
Anyone with information should call the police on 01795 419119 quoting 46/12906/21.
The quad bike's owner has been asked for a comment.
