A WOMAN who watched in horror as axe-wielding raiders smashed down her shop door just two weeks before the brutal murder of jewellers Mohammed and Bilquis Karim today spoke of her lucky escape.

Carol Rich, of Arthur Barries jewellers, Queen's Square, Rawtenstall, said she instinctively knew police would link the two robberies when she heard about the attack. And hearing the details have made her relive her own terrifying ordeal.

She said: "It is horrible and to think it all happened in broad daylight the same as me.

"The family of those poor people must be going through hell.

"The same people could have been in my shop and it makes me feel very sick and also very lucky to be alive.

" It doesn't bear thinking about because, but for the grace of God, it could have been me." The quick thinking shop keeper immediately sounded a silent alarm to police when the masked raiders confronted her - before she screamed and screamed.

The two men fled empty handed but the car they were travelling in, a black Subaru, was used in a similar raid on a jewellers shop in Preston two weeks ago. They were both 5ft 8in to 5ft 9in, slim and wearing jeans and trainers. Detectives working on the double murder investigation are looking at a number of similar raids which have taken place in the North West.

The Karims were stabbed to death in a back room of the shop, Tony The Jewellers, Church Street, Preston, on Friday.

The bodies were discovered by their sons Shabir, 27, and Shafiq, 29, after the couple failed to pick up their four grandchildren.

It was the third time the family had been targeted by armed raiders.

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