A group of men tried to break into homes in Clayhall in the early hours of Thursday but were spotted and chased off by the neighbourhood watch team.
The men tried door handles and were believed to be armed with a long screw driver and knives,
They were attempting to break into homes in Herent Drive, Abbotswood Gardens and Werneth Hall Road around 4am on Thursday.
Clayhall Neighbourhood Group scare off potential burglars
CCTV footage shows them hiding out at the end of a long driveway before being scared off by one of the home owners.
Police attended but no one was apprehended.
Someone from the Clayhall Neighbourhood Group spotted it and put out an SOS call and residents Javed Shaikh and Sajeev Vilvarajah ran out to chase the men until police arrived.
Javed, who has lived there for 19 years, told the Recorder: "It's not nice that we have to do that and we're risking our lives but what else could we do, I have a 12-year-old kid at home.
"We have to protect our homes and if we don't do anything to drive them out, they'll end up driving us out."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said they were called to reports of suspects trying door handles on houses in Abbotswood Gardens but they did not gain entry and no one was apprehended.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here