Michael Fogg, the warden of the General Cemetery in Sharrow who runs an independent funeral directors on Woodhouse Road, was arrested on suspicion of assault after the young man suffered cuts and bruises as he was held down on the floor with his hands behind his back.

Mr Fogg claims the problem was made worse by the length of time it took police to respond to the incident, meaning he had to restrain the man for 45 minutes.

Mr Fogg said he was awoken at around 1am by two young men trashing his funeral ambulance parked up outside his house in Cemetery Avenue, Sharrow Vale.

He said: "I was in bed and woke up to hear someone smashing up my van - I went to the window and saw two men, one of them was jumping up and down on the vehicle and the other was smashing the side in with a piece of scaffold.

"I rang the police but they took 45 minutes to get there - in that time we were waiting I detained one of them, the other had run off. A scuffle broke out because I was struggling to hold him down, I was restraining him. He'd done a lot of damage to the vehicle and under no circumstances was I going to allow him to escape."

Mr Fogg said the damage caused to the vehicle - used to collect a person who dies at home - was likely to cost £2,000, including a complete respray of the ambulance because of the scratches to the paintwork. And he added: "I understand that the police have to check everything out, but they've also seen the damage to my vehicle.

"I was protecting my property - I should not have to put up with someone coming along drunk and causing damage. I was on call that night for people who have just passed away. What would I have done if I'd been called out with a smashed roof and scratches all down the side? It would not have looked good.

"I want him to face court - I want it to be a lesson to people if they persist in causing law-abiding people harm. I am not a vigilante - I am a funeral director. But you cannot allow them to get away with it. It is a sad state of society when people do not even have respect for a funeral ambulance."

The cemetery has been a notorious hotspot for anti-social behaviour, with vandalism to graves, monuments and trinkets happening on a regular basis.

Police confirmed they attended the incident and a man was arrested on suspicion of assault, who has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

A spokesman said: "This is part of an ongoing investigation, therefore we cannot comment any further."

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