Picture: Hampshire Police

Navy veteran Paul Kenny chased two men who stole his replica steam train worth £6,000 from his garden.

The 75-year-old didn’t hesitate to tackle the thieves as they fled his home in Chilworth, Hampshire.

Paul – a grandfather – had caught the thieves red-handed after they awoke his dog Poppy.

He said: “These men were down the side of the house with my train and so I ran after them.

“One was running with the train and another tubbier one tried to pull a branch off a tree out in front of me.

“I just ran straight through the branch as my adrenaline was going.

“I wasn’t going to let him get away with my train.

“He was struggling with it as I tried to pull it off him.

“He got in the car and I was hanging out the door.

“One of the guys shouted out, ‘Drive off, Paul’.

“He drove off with me hanging on to the train, trailing behind the car.”

Mr Kenny was dragged behind the VW getaway car for 30 feet at speed before letting go.

He suffered from cuts and bruises.

The dark blue VW Golf has the part registration YH04.

The train is a model of a Victorian 335 Southern Railway engine.

It’s more than three foot long and weighs 82 lbs.

Paul said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if he never saw the engine again.

He added: “I just can’t understand why people would go and steal something like that.

“I can understand pinching a push bike or jewellery, but not something like my train.

“You need tracks to use the train, so it is a very specific item.”

PC Mike Elwood from Hampshire Constabulary said:

“If you have seen a model train like this recently or been offered to buy one, we want to hear from you.

“Similarly, we are keen to trace the car and its occupants and want to speak to any witnesses to this incident, which could have resulted in much more serious injuries to a vulnerable member of the community.”