A TERRIFIED couple were confronted in their home by a masked thug who demanded the keys to their car while wielding a 3ft long Samurai sword.

Mr John Foster was watching television on Tuesday night when two men smashed through the front door of his house in Whittingham Drive, Ramsbottom, while his wife Marj was upstairs.

After one of the raiders threatened Mr Foster with the weapon, the duo drove off in the £18,000 Ford Mondeo ST 220, which was fitted with a tracking device, and was later recovered in Prestwich.

Now, detectives are anxious to speak to anyone who witnessed the raid at about 10.50pm.

Speaking about his ordeal, Mr Foster (53), said: "I was sitting downstairs watching television and my wife was upstairs. Two men then kicked in the centre of our front door.

"Marj heard the initial bang of the front door being smashed and started coming downstairs, wondering what on earth the noise was. When she realised this guy was breaking in, she didn't get as far as the bottom of the stairs before she screamed to alert neighbours.

"The masked man with the Samurai sword came into the lounge where I was. Basically, he pointed the sword at me and demanded the keys to the Mondeo."

Mr Foster, who works with United Utilities as a project manager, added: "The whole thing was unreal. It was just disbelief, like something out of a police series which, to a degree, has saved me having nightmares about it. I gave this man the keys and he passed them through the door to his accomplice outside.

"But at first, they couldn't get the car open. I also had a Fiesta in the driveway and one of the men accused me of giving him the wrong keys. I told him I hadn't and they eventually got inside the Moneo and drove off. To be honest, the whole incident was over with fairly quickly.

"The police van got here so soon that we were actually surprised they hadn't seen my car going the other way."

Thanks to the on-board tracking device, police were able to recover the vehicle in Prestwich Park Road South, Prestwich.

Mr Foster, who has owned the Mondeo for two and a half years, continued: "We believe the theft was far too elaborate just to be a joyride. Police told me that thieves sometimes leave a stolen car for so long and, if it's not collected, know there isn't a tracker device fitted."

The stolen vehicle is undergoing thorough forensic examination before being returned to the couple.

Anyone with information is asked to ring Bury CID on 856 8150 or freephone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.