A MANHUNT was launched after a farmer was shot at twice as he tried to defend his property from raiders.

The son of Martin Perrett described his have-a-go hero father as ‘lucky to be alive’ after he was attacked by three armed men in Buckland Newton, near Dorchester.

Brad Perrett, 24, said the drama occurred at around 2.30am yesterday morning at Court Farm when his elderly grandparents alerted them that men with torches were in the yard.

He said: “We’ve had a lot of break-ins so gran, who’s 87, is always on red alert.

“Dad went out there and confronted them in his Range Rover.

“There were three lads dressed in camouflage gear and balaclavas and possibly a driver.

“They were running to their car so dad blocked the track, while ringing the police on his mobile.

“They rammed him so he pushed them back into the farm and at that point they shot at him.

“The bullet hit the windscreen.”

Mr Perrett continued to ram the robbers’ green Citroen Xantia car until it became stuck in a lake and then once again blocked the track to delay them while the police arrived.

Brad said: “They pushed their car out the lake and then drove their car at him flat out so dad did the same to them.

“He was in a Range Rover and they were in a Citroen so they ended up in a hedge.

“At some point they shot at him again then they ran.”

He added: “Dad was lucky because he saw them using a .22 rifle, which would have killed him.

“It was not scare tactics. Police found sledgehammers and other breaking and entering equipment in the car. The strange thing is they were breaking into the fridge unit of L&C Games, which was full of deer carcasses.

“The meat is worth thousands of pounds once it is processed as sausages and burgers but the carcasses aren’t worth anything, it’s ludicrous. They also opened some office unit doors but we don’t think anything was stolen.”

Brad said at one point the police helicopter ‘had two of the raiders out at Alton Pancras within 200 yards of armed policemen’ but it had to be called off to refuel and due to the bad weather, so it lost them.

Martin’s wife Elaine added: “I don’t think the raiders expected to meet Martin, but then He wasn’t expecting to get shot.”

The family recently installed an alarm system and created topsoil barriers around the 250-acre farm following a break-in four months ago when raiders made off with up to £10,000-worth of tools.

Teams of police dog handlers spent most of yesterday morning scouring the countryside for the gang, who they described as dangerous and urged the public not to approach them.

A 40-year-old man from Somerset has been arrested and released on police bail but three were still on the run last night.

Superintendent Wes Trickey, of Dorset Police, said: “Officers continue to search for the remaining men and key areas are being contained. The men have been running from police for hours now and they will clearly be tired, dishevelled, wet and muddy.

“I understand that these men may be wearing camouflage-style clothing and it’s also possible they have been discarding this clothing while on the run – this will have left them inappropriately dressed for the weather.

“If members of the public notice anyone matching that description and anyone running, hiding or acting in a suspicious or unusual way, then I would urge them to call us straight away.

“Do not approach the men – officers are nearby and will respond immediately.”

Witnesses and anyone who sees the men who they believe to be responsible should dial 999 immediately.

Anyone else with information should contact Dorset Police on 01305 222222.