A LANDLORD today relived the terrifying moment fought off a robber armed with a 16-inch carving knife.

Ian Jagger, has been in the pub trade for eight years and had only been at the Gordon Lennox Arms, Burnley Road, Cliviger, for three weeks before he was confronted by the man brandishing a knife.

Today he vowed not to be defeated by the ordeal, which occurred in the pub where he lives at 5.55am on Tuesday.

Ian, who is well known locally after pulling pints at the Brunshaw, Brunshaw Road, for two and a half years, and earlier at the Derby Hotel, Colne, said: "It was not the best welcoming I have ever received.

"I was very shaken up by the end of it all but at the end of the day I am not going to let them grind me down and stop me from working.

"It was very frightening, I realised somebody had broken in but I thought they had got into the pub. I rang the police straight away because I have a phone next to my bed and told them I was being burgled.

"Then I saw the handle turning on the bedroom door which was very creepy, and then it stopped.

"They or he went away so I got up and put my tracksuit on, only to be met in the door way by a man holding a 16-inch carving knife from the kitchen.

"He was swearing at me, but I was trying to tell him I didn't have large amounts of cash on the premises.

"He was calling me a liar before he lunged towards me with the knife.

"I put up a brief struggle but then realised it wasn't worth it because I wasn't sure how many of them were in the house.

"He then made off with £150 in cash so I followed him but didn't hear or see a car, which I found unusual."

Ian was left with slight bruising to his arm and shaken by the ordeal but even that didn't stop him from opening the same night.

He added: "You can't let them get the better of you, I am looking at beefing up security in the pub to prevent it from happening again."

Ian managed to get a good look at the intruder, despite it still being quite dark and described him as white, in his mid 20s, 5ft 8ins, with short black hair, thin face, light coloured trousers and wearing trainers.

Detective Sergeant Peter Simm said police hope to produce an artist's impression in the next couple of days.

He said: "It sometimes takes a few days for people to remember everything, with this in mind we will be looking to work with the landlord and get something together."

Anybody with any information about the incident is urged to contact Burnley CID on 01282 472143.