DETECTIVES were today hunting for two hooded robbers who bound and battered an 81-year-old farmer in a terrifying attack at his isolated home.

John Hanson was left tied up and semi-conscious in a pool of blood by the raiders who hit him over the head with a hammer before demanding cash and valuables.

Police said that given the age of the victim it was lucky they were not dealing with a murder inquiry.

Officers believe Mr Hanson's disabled and bed-ridden 76-year-old wife, Edith, slept through the 20-minute ordeal at their home off Gisburn Road, Blacko.

Despite his injuries, Mr Hanson managed to free himself and raise the alarm at the nearby Moorcock Inn pub.

The two masked men forced their way into the house and tied Mr Hanson. They demanded keys to a safe and during the incident there was a brief struggle and the raiders hit Mr Hanson about the head and body. The robbers then ransacked the house before escaping with cash and valuables. Some property was later recovered near the farmhouse by police officers searching for clues.

Although Mrs Hanson was not injured in the attack, which took place at 10pm on Thursday, she was taken to Burnley General Hospital with her husband suffering from shock. Mr Hanson was treated for serious head injuries, but managed to recover enough to give a statement to detectives from his hospital bed yesterday afternoon. Both were in a satisfactory condition today.

Detective Inspector Roy Butler, who is leading the hunt for the attackers, said: "This was a sickening attack on an old man. Bearing in mind the victim's age it is very fortunate that this is not a murder inquiry.

"We are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the Blacko area that night to come forward." Police were still trying to establish whether the robbers approached the house from the A682 Nelson-Gisburn road or across the fields from Gisburn Old Road, a narrow country lane that comes to a dead-end.

Customers at the Moorcock Inn could not believe the viciousness of the attack on a defenceless elderly couple who had lived on the farm for many years and were well known.

Landlady Elizabeth Holt said: "We were just locking up for the night when we heard this noise outside.

"We opened the door and it was John stood there. He was in a right mess.

"His face was cut and bleeding and his ribs were badly bruised and he was having trouble breathing."

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