Yobs subjected a neighbour to a bitter hate campaign after he stepped in to stop their mindless acts of vandalism.

In the latest attack, thugs threw a brick through the man's window as a police van was parked outside while officers investigated a previous incident.

The desperate 46-year-old victim said he had considered boarding up his home of 12 years and moving out.

The man, who does not want to be identified, said he has had 11 windows broken, including two last night and two attempted burglaries at his property in the Hull Road area of York.

He has been spat at, and abuse has been hurled at him over the past 18 months but he cannot identify the culprits.

He said he has spent about £4,000 on improved security, on top of increased insurance premiums.

And he is convinced that the attacks are directly linked to an incident 18 months ago when he caught two youths breaking windows in his neighbour's house. He punched one of them, for which he received a police caution.

Police have not been able to prove a direct link, despite installing a surveillance camera at his property for six months in a bid to identify the culprits.

He said: "Sometimes I feel a prisoner in my own home. My partner says to come down and stay with her, but I get the feeling in the pit of my stomach that my house is going to get torched."