An 88-year-old pensioner escaped from thieves who were ransacking his home by climbing over his neighbors wall.

The Co.Carlow man was confronted by three masked men demanding cash in his home earlier this month.

While the thieves managed to take cash from his wallet, the elderly man refused to give the thieves the pin number for his ATM card or the keys to his son's car, which was parked outside.

He then managed to escape to a neighbor's house by running out his back door and climbing over a wall, while the thieves searched the upstairs of his home.

The man, who was alone in the house at the time, didn't suffer any injuries but was very shocked after the incident.

“Dad remained calm and very collected as they were shouting at him looking for money. They didn’t hurt him, but it makes you think how vulnerable elderly people are, especially those living alone,” his daughter told The Carlow Nationalist.