A TOWN councillor is furious after police took three hours to turn up at his home during a "campaign of terror" against his family.

Michael Charles and his wife say they received five terrifying telephone calls from a man threatening violence against them on Friday.

Mr Charles, aged 72, of Somers Park Avenue, Malvern, said a man shouted down the telephone that nightclub bouncers would beat him up and one of the widows on his front door was also cracked when something was thrown or fired at it.

Mr Charles, a Malvern town councillor for Dyson Perrins ward, made six 999 calls between 7.20pm and 9.10pm but police officers did not arrive at his home until 10pm, he said.

Mr Charles, who has suffered a heart attack and a stroke, said his 75 year-old wife Janice was now too frightened to answer the telephone or the door.

Coun Charles added: "On the telephone to police I was told the best thing was to get in the back of the house out of the way. My wife was frightened to death.

"What if I had been calling in a murder? I thought 999 was supposed to be an emergency number. We have been subjected to a campaign of terror."

Similar calls were received by the family in May and a letter dated Saturday, May 19 was sent to them, making threats of physical attacks against Mr Charles's son.

The five page letter, from a man claiming to be a qualified solicitor, says "I have told the bouncers to hurt Ian, not kill him which is what he really deserves".

Mr Charles, who has given copies of the letter to police, says he knows the identity of the man responsible for the attacks who has a grudge against his son.

A spokesman for West Mercia Constabulary confirmed that no-one had been arrested or charged in connection with either the letter or the abusive phone calls.

He added: "All calls are graded in terms of how quickly they are responded to. Officers attended an incident at an address in Somers Park Avenue on Friday, September 14 within the indicated time-frame. Enquiries are ongoing."

Last year your Worcester News reported how Mr Charles had been assaulted during an unrelated road rage attack on the A38.

His legs were badly bruised after they were jammed in a car door but the attacker got off with a caution.