A GANG wearing Hallowe’en ghoul masks burst into a house while a family were getting ready to go to bed.

Runjeet Bhullar, 28, was taking his four-year-old son upstairs when he heard his partner Leigh, 22, scream as three men broke in through the back door in Wiltshire Drive, Helmshore.

Mr Bhullar said: “We had been watching a film and were getting ready to go to bed. My little lad had fallen asleep so I was taking him upstairs when I heard Leigh scream.

“I didn’t really have time to think, I just dashed downstairs to the kitchen to protect my family.”

When Mr Bhullar reached the kitchen he saw his cousin Parminder lying on the floor.

One of the masked men had kicked in the locked stable door and attacked Parminder, who had been sitting on a stool smoking a cigarette.

In the struggle Parminder was hit on the top of the head with what he thinks was a ‘car jack’.

Mr Bhullar, an internet car dealer said: “When I got downstairs I was just shocked more than anything.

“My cousin was grappling with one of the men on the kitchen floor and I just went for the second man who was making his way into my house. I just grabbed the first thing to hand and just hit the guy as hard as I could with a pan that was lying on the side.

“All I could think of was my four-year-old son was upstairs in bed.”

As the burglars realised the pair were fighting back they ran out of the back door.

Neighbours came rushing out to see what was happening and helped to call the police and ambulance.

A neighbour said: “I just heard this awful scream and lots of banging about and then scores of police turned up with their dogs, vans and the ambulance service.

“I moved to Helmshore from Accrington as I thought it would be safer.”

The incident was caught on CCTV installed by Mr Bhullar the last time his property was targeted a year ago.

The burglars left empty handed in the third attack in the last two years.

Police are now appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area to contact them.

Detective Sergeant Mark Gillibrand said: “This was a vicious and brutal attack on a couple in their own home. I appeal to anyone who saw anything suspicous on Wednesday evening to contact me directly.”

The three men are described as white and were wearing casual clothing including tracksuit bottoms and hooded tops ran off.

Anyone with information should call police on 0845 1 25 35 45 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.