TWO masked raiders terrorised a Fylde postmaster and his family after breaking into their St Annes home on Tuesday night (September 14).

As Harold Ellis and his daughter Carolyn watched television in their home on the The Boulevard, the two thugs burst in from the rear wearing black balaclavas and wielding crowbars.

Harold, 69, told the Citizen: "It was about 8.45pm and we had left the back door open for my wife Noeleen, who had just popped out.

"Then suddenly these two men appeared dressed all in black and one of them grabbed Carolyn.

"They were asking how much was in the safe and I said about £10,000 but they argued and said "there must be more than that as you had a delivery this morning", so they must have been watching us I suppose.

"I told them we couldn't open the safe as it's on a timer and they threatened to stay all night, but then my wife returned and surprised them. They grabbed her and she started to become hysterical. They thought she was having a heart attack and they panicked and ran out.

Noeleen, 64, in fact suffers from angina and required medical treatment after her ordeal, but is now recovering at home.

Police report the thugs were seen making off in the direction of Laverton Road and they are described as two white males, approx 5ft 10in, late 20's to 40 .

One had a Liverpudlian accent and was of medium build while the second was stocky with olive skin, a Mediterranean appearance and a foreign accent.

Anyone with any information should call Blackpool Police on (01253) 293933 or Crimestoppers on (0800) 555111.

Harold's daughter, Carolyn, 39, was visiting her parents in a break from performing in Phantom of The Opera in Liverpool and sets off today for a stint in Edinburgh with her father's good wishes.

He added: "The show must go on."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.