ASTONISHED Bury pensioner Emil Salem returned home to find a chunk of his driveway missing, after thieves pounced.

Mr Salem left his home on Manchester Old Road to visit the doctor.

Upon returning two hours later, he discovered that 12 expensive flagstones were missing after thieves carried out a swift removal job.

The 77-year-old said: "It looks a real mess. What amazed me most was the speed with which they did it, and the fact that it was in broad daylight. They came right up to my window."

"It is disturbing that they must have been watching me, and knew that I had gone out."

Mr Salem, a former Army commando and company economist, added: "If I hadn't gone for a cup of tea after going to the doctors, I could have run straight into them. I might have had a go, despite my age."

Anyone with information should contact police on 856 8157.