A VILLAGER who found an alleged intruder in his garage bound his hand and feet and tied him to a lawnmower.

Ian Fairwood, of Pilmoor, Helperby, near Easingwold, was woken at dawn by a phone call from his neighbour, who said someone was in his garage.

So the 52-year-old civil servant grabbed a garden fork and went into the garage - where he found the teenager.

Ian said: "He didn't see me. I said: 'What are you doing?', and he leapt like a thousand volts of electricity had passed through him."

The dad-of-two then told the man to get face down on to the floor, while he waited for his neighbour to arrive.

He tied his hands and feet with garden baler twine before attaching his hands to the ride-on lawnmower.

Ian said: "I wanted to make sure he couldn't get away."

Ian said he felt "apprehensive and nervous" about yesterday morning's confrontation, but said he did it without thinking.

He added: "I suppose I was just acting on instinct. I would probably do it again, but hopefully I won't have to."

Inspector Val Broadley, of Thirsk police, said she was pleased the teenager had been detained.

She said: "It is always a difficult one to call, and we would normally advise people not to intervene in these circumstances.

"I believe the gentleman looked at what assistance was available to him before going into the garage."

Updated: 10:53 Wednesday, April 23, 2003