An elderly man died after trying to see off a gang of youths who had plagued him at home.

Alfred Tugwell, 83, collapsed on his front lawn still clutching one of the cordless phones he had had installed in every room in his house because he was sick of the repeated abuse.

While the pensioner, known as Alf, lay dying in his front garden in Hawkhurst Road, Coldean, Brighton, one of the youths used the phone to dial 999.

Mr Tugwell, who was awarded the Maltese Cross for heroism during the Second World War and had lived in the house for 49 years, had suffered a heart attack.

Neighbours have told how the estate has been plagued by gangs of noisy and abusive youths who saw him as an easy target.

Yet police have said they will not be investigating Mr Tugwell's death as the coroner has recorded a verdict of natural causes.

Lily Tanner, 82, whose house adjoins Mr Tugwell's, said she heard lots of noise outside just before the incident.

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, rushed out of her house after seeing him collapse and tried to resuscitate him.

She said: "My husband and I were looking out of the window upstairs and we spotted Mr Tugwell shaking and gesturing with a phone in his hand to four lads who sat on his wall. Then he just keeled over. I dashed across the road and by the time I got there, two of the lads had gone."

Mr Tugwell was taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital where he died two hours after the incident on Wednesday, at 6pm.

His oldest son, Richard, 52, said: "Dad always stood up for himself. If people threw bottles into his garden or shouted abuse at him he always confronted them. He had real guts.

"We are numb because our father is dead and angry because the system failed him. He told us about thugs hassling him. Only last weekend he told us about kids congregating around the house and giving him hassle when he told them to move on. But we didn't realise just how bad it had got."

Son Colin, 48, said: "Dad brought us up to fight for our rights and hated people breaking the law. He taught us to respect people's privacy,unlike the thugs who hassled him."

His daughter, June, 46, said: "He fought for his country and what does he get? He stood up for himself and was harassed all the more. The thugs probably just thought, 'Let's wind the old man up' as they knew they would get away with it. And now our father is dead."

Other neighbours told how they have been plagued by youths in the area and are demanding action.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "Alf was definitely being hassled by the kids and he got quite upset about it. They would often be noisy but if you confronted them they would hurl abuse at you. One time I went out and tried to follow them in my car but I didn't catch them.."

Another resident, who also did not want to be named, said: "Youngsters on this estate have no-where to go so they make a nuisance of themselves. Whenever any money is dished out it goes to Moulsecomb and Whitehawk."

Elderly residents at Rotary Lodge, behind Hawkhurst Road, have also been harassed by youths.

Marjorie Young, 81, said: "A few weeks ago they put a wooden bar through the handles of the front door so we couldn't open it. Imagine if there had been a fire.

"One night we saw a resident in his 80s chasing after them. They are only youngsters but they can cause a lot of damage. There is never a community policeman in sight."

A police spokeswoman said: "Chief Inspector Peter Mills visited the Tugwell family and expressed his condolences. Yet we will not be investigating the incident as the coroner has recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.

"PC Bob Burdett has been the community beat officer in Coldean for five years. He holds monthly surgeries at Coldean Library. At one of these a resident did express concern about criminal damage and minor disorders in the area.

"He has since sent 60 letters to houses in Coldean, asking for people to contact him with any concerns and he had minimal response.

"He also visited houses where children live who have been causing a nuisance in the area and talked to them and their parents. This will be ongoing."