A pair of teenagers who burst into a dad's house and attacked him with a dog chain have been warned they are facing lengthy jail terms.

Ashley Quelch and River Moroney set about the man after he thought he saw them forcing two younger boys to empty their pockets and shouted to leave them alone.

And the attack, in Eldene, came days after the 18-year-olds had been involved in another separate violent incident.

Quelch and Moroney both pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and threatening behaviour when they appeared at Swindon Crown Court by video link.

Alex Daymond, for Quelch, said "I accept the seriousness of the offence leads to a substantial period of imprisonment."

Judge Tim Mousley QC adjourned the case to Friday May 29 to give the probation service time to compile presentence reports.

He said he would also need to consider whether they were dangerous offenders and so be subject to extended sentences.

Remanding Quelch, of Crosswood Road, Park South, and Moroney, who gave the court an address in Bath, in custody the judge told them 'There will be custodial sentences.'

Rob Welling, prosecuting, told an earlier hearing how Quelch is 'considered by police with his co-accused to be a particular problem in the area in which he resides'..

The first incident took place at about 11am on Tuesday April 7, he said, when the pair went to the home of a woman and started kicking at the door.

"They shouted 'Get your old man out here. Let's have some,' and phrases that involved threats," he said.

Just over 48 hours later the pair were again out an about together when they got launched the more serious attack.

At about 4pm on Thursday April 9 victim Christopher Plumb was at his partner's home on Stubsmead and the defendants were in the street.

"Mr Plumb witnessed what he believed to be a street robbery: two teenage boys being forced to empty their pockets," he said.

"He shouted to leave them alone. They turned their attentions to Mr Plumb, banging on the door, shouting to come out."

The victim was then kicked and punched to the face, he said, with the blows continuing when he was on the ground.

As the attack took place Mr Welling said the victim's partner and children looked on, screaming.

Mr Plumb managed to get back in to the house but the pair kicked through the door and continued the assault.

Mr Welling told the court Quelch said 'Here's a dog chain: use that on him,' as they used it to beat Mr Plumb.

The victim only managed to fight them off when he picked up a children's scooter and threw it at them to defend himself and as they left Quelch shouted 'This is war'.

Mr Welling said that Quelch had a lengthy criminal history having appeared before the courts on 12 occasions for 22 offences.

He has convictions for actual bodily harm, having an offensive weapon in a public place, and in 2013 another aggravated burglary.

On that occasion, when he was 16, he and three older men, all clad in balaclavas, burst into a flat occupied by two women.

They were armed with a claw hammer and baseball bats and smashed the place up, leaving the victims terrified.

While the adults received jail terms ranging from five years four months to six years and nine months Quelch, as a youth, was put on a community order with a three month curfew.