Declan Donnelly is taking no chances after nearly becoming the victim of a horrific crime.
The 45-year-old TV presenter was asleep with wife Ali Astall and their toddler daughter Isla when they were targeted by a gang of 'professional' burglars in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The thugs attempted to break in by trying to rip off the iron gates at the front of the West London property, but were foiled by their sturdiness and were forced to flee in a getaway car.
The little family were completely unaware of the attempted raid and only found out when they were notified by police.
On Wednesday morning, workers could be seen outside the Chiswick property repairing the damaged gates.
A tradesman was seen kneeling down on the boundary line with a toolkit on the pavement.
He was spotted working on what looked like damage to the paving slabs underneath the gate, as well as marks on the iron post embedded into the brick wall.
Dec is yet to break his silence about the terrifying incident, but a pal confirmed the pair and little Isla were unscathed.
"The robbers couldn’t force the gates open and that’s what made them give up, and flee," they told the Sun.
"Dec and Ali weren't disturbed. The first they realised anything was amiss was in the morning."
Dec has lived in the seven-bedroom home since buying it for £1.9million in 2006.
His best mate and telly partner Ant McPartin bought the property next door and lived there with ex-wife Lisa Armstrong until their split in late 2017.
A Met Police spokesman confirmed the force has launched a probe into the attempted raid.
"Police were called at approximately 00:40hrs to reports of an attempted burglary at a residential property," they said in a statement.
"Officers attended. The suspects had left the scene prior to police arrival. There was no evidence that they had gained access to the property.
"Inquiries are ongoing. At this early stage, there have been no arrests."
.png?w=600)
