A dad has described the moment vicious carjackers tried to mow him down with his own vehicle as his son looked on, in a terrifying distraction theft.

Two con artists turned up at the family home in Rainham last Saturday afternoon, after the 44-year-old advertised his black BMW X5 for sale in a car magazine.

One of the thieves pretended he was interested in buying the car, advertised for �27,000, while the other posed as a mechanic.

The victim, who is too afraid to be identified, was asked to start the engine and while distracted one of the men jumped into the driver’s seat.

“He put it in reverse and floored it,” said the victim, a CCTV engineer. “He wouldn’t have thought twice about knocking me down.

“I dived out of the way and he just missed me.

“My son, who’s only nine, was watching from further down the drive and he was hysterical. I‘ve been shaken up myself all weekend.”

He added: “The police said it was only a matter of time before someone was killed.”

Neighbours sitting in a car opposite, saw the drama unfold and tried to give chase but lost the speedy motor.

“[The thieves] clearly knew what they were doing,” said the victim. “After the first guy jumped in, the other one legged it about 200 yards up the road, where he was picked up.

The money from the sale of the car was due to fund a black cab for the dad-of-two, who has been learning The London Knowledge for the past 18 months.

“That’s my family’s future,” he added. “I’ve been struggling with work for a while now and I told my wife this was our way out.

“I don’t know how I’m going to afford to buy a cab now.”

The suspects are both Asian men, aged between 28 and 30-years-old. One is around 5’7’’ and the other 6’3’’. They both had short black hair and were wearing dark-coloured tracksuits.

Anyone with information is asked to call Romford Police Station on: 101.