A 89-year-old widower fought off an attack from a burglar armed with a screwdriver and noxious chemicals with quick thinking and small talk.

The break-in was part of a “horrific” 36-hour crime spree by the thug, who terrorised residents in their own homes by stealing cash and spraying them with dangerous substances.

The pensioner, one week off his 90th birthday, was eating breakfast in the kitchen of his house, in Lynford Gardens, Goodmayes, last week, when he heard a “big boom”.

“I saw a black shadow and thought it was my son (visiting) but when the door opened it was a stranger,” he told the Recorder.

“I stood up, told him to get away and tried to pushed him. He took out a 12in screwdriver and sprayed the wall with something to show he meant business.”

The brave grandad, who asked not to be named, was taken upstairs and asked to find money.

“I kept trying to talk to him to keep him calmer. I thought about fighting back but he was half my age and he was standing over me. I patted him on the arm and said ‘you’re not a bad guy really are you’.”

When the thug was searching for cash the man managed to flee into the street to call for help.

No arrests have been made and inquiries continue. Police are appealing for information.

If you have any information that could assist the investigation, please call Redbridge CID on 020 8345 2721.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.