A RETIRED farmer was tied up and beaten up in his own home by burglars who stole guns and cash.

The pensioner – aged in his late 70s – was robbed by at least two men who came to his farmhouse on the A35 close to Bloxworth at lunch time on Thursday.

A relative said the robbers fled in the victim’s car and the police were called when he managed to make it out to his front gate on the main road.

The man – who lives alone – was taken to hospital with facial injuries but is now back at home.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said the man was “beaten up” and “really shaken up by the ordeal” and said his friends have also been upset to hear what he had been through.

A relative said: “They tied him up and they also stole his car – there were at least two of them.

“He’s got a supportive family and he’s got many friends of his own looking after him.”

The police have not made any arrests and residents in nearby Bloxworth said they have been shocked to hear of the drama so close to their rural village.

Alan King, 59, said: “You feel sorry for him.

“He lives on a busy road and you would’ve thought somebody would have seen something but those places that are 20 feet off the road are hidden.”

A police spokesperson would not confirm how many guns were stolen or the quantity of cash.

Villager Di Hunt, 77, said: “We’re very shocked.

National Farmers Union Dorset chairman Robert Lasseter added: “A robbery of this nature is highly unusual in Dorset – especially this amount of firearms being stolen.

“But for farmers in the area who live in isolated locations, this type of rural crime is a real problem.

“Increasingly farmers are spending more money on security kits to combat thieves.”

The NFU is currently working with Dorset Police on a scheme called ‘Stop the Thief’ where a network of farmers work with the force to report suspicious behaviour and install surveillance equipment.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police confirmed that firearms officers attended the incident at 12.52pm in Bloxworth after an emergency call was made.

She added: “The victim sustained injuries during the burglary.”