A MAN brought terror to a filling station by brandishing a car jack in the early hours, a court was told.

Burnley magistrates heard how Jonathan Allen, 23, lost his temper after a cashpoint machine swallowed his brother's partner's bank card and the garage assistant could not help.

Allen, who threatened to smash the window of the filling station, then dialled 999 and told officers they had better come to the premises or he would do it.

The cashier had been put in fear and was distressed by his actions, the court heard.

The defendant, of Napier Street, Nelson, admitted threatening to cause damage and failing to surrender.

Allen, who was in breach of a conditional discharge, was given a two month curfew, seven days a week, between 7pm and 7am.

He was also ordered to pay the assistant £50 compensation.

Sophie Lorimer, prosecuting, told the court that at 3am on November 20, the defendant, his brother and girlfriend went to the the Spar Texaco garage in Manchester Road, Nelson.

At the filling station callers have to speak to the assistant through a hatch after dark.

Allen's brother's girlfriend tried to use the cashpoint but it retained her card.

The trio went to ask the cashier to get the card back, but were told the machine was nothing to do with the garage and they would have to contact the bank later in the morning.

Mrs Lorimer said Allen then demanded to be let into the shop and threatened to smash the cash machine up if he wasn't. He got a car jack from his brother's car and threatened to smash the windows. He then rang police.

Geoff Ireland, defending, said there was no suggestion he was going to use the car jack and he had put it back in the boot before the police arrived.