Is it legal? In the aftermath of the Tony Martin burglar-shooting episode it’s likely that many people would be wary of using a shotgun to frighten off a burglar – even one that can only fire blanks and can only fire vertically.

However, that’s just what Leeds inventor David Auty hopes to market to householders across the country.

Auty’s invention consists of a vertical pipe connected to a section of exterior property and fires a 12-bore blank cartridge when triggered by a burglar. A steel ball, which falls through the tube when disturbed by movement, fires the cartridge.

Most people ignore ordinary burglar alarms, notes the on-the-ball inventor, and think it's just a false alarm. “But if a gunshot goes off, people might take some notice and it might scare off a burglar."

Auty has carried out a large amount of research and is sure the ‘shotgun alarm’ is legal.
"It is not a gun," he said. "No one could make it into a firearm and it will only function in a vertical position."

And the invention’s first user is very pleased with the device. 50 year-old Stuart Petit of Rawdon, and friend of Auty, keeps horses at Bramhope. He has lost count of the number of times people have stolen from his field. Now the device Auty calls a Site Sentry has clocked up its first scared burglar at Petit’s property. The burglar ran off like a rocket, hotly pursued by Petit. “It’s done the trick," said the pleased owner.