UPDATED: Robbers who ripped jewellery from 70-year-old woman also hit her disabled son

The grandmother-of-one, who was attacked in her house in Green Lane, Great Lever, at about 12.30pm on Thursday, has been left traumatised by the terrifying ordeal.

Three men in balaclavas stormed the home of the pensioner while she was alone with two of her three children, a son and a daughter who both have learning disabilities and special needs.

The robbers rushed in through the front door, which was closed but not locked, before one ran upstairs and attacked the elderly woman while she was cleaning the bathroom.

He ripped valuable gold jewellery from her arm, neck and ears, resulting in some shallow cuts.

The other two robbers waited downstairs where one hit the woman’s 42-year-old son on the head with a stick or bat and another threatened her daughter, who is 29.

All three men then fled on foot out of the front door and ran up Green Lane towards Bradford Road.

Eyewitnesses said they may have turned right up Lowther Street, which runs alongside Great Lever Park, before the junction with Bradford Road.

The woman’s two daughters said their mother has not slept for the last three nights and is still very upset by what happened.

One, who did not wish to be named, said: “She is crying so much. You expect it to be dangerous outside, but you think you are safe in your own home.

“To know we are not makes me very scared. My mother and father have lived her for 30 years, and nothing like this has ever happened before.”

The robbers also stole car keys and house keys, meaning the family have had to change their locks.

The pensioner purchased some of the jewellery on Wednesday, the day before the robbery, for a forthcoming trip to Pakistan.

Her husband, who is also in his seventies, was at the shop at the time of the attack.

The moment the robbers fled the house was caught on CCTV and anyone who saw the three men should contact police.

The woman's other daughter, who was threatened by the robbers during the attack, said: “They said to me be quiet, do not say anything or else. I was so scared and was crying.

“My brother is also very upset. He did not understand what was going on and they hit him on the head with a stick as they came past because he was shouting and screaming.”

The men are described as white, aged between 20 to 25, and of average build. Two were approximately 5ft7in tall, with one around 5ft11in tall.

All three had dark hoods up and were wearing dark-coloured clothing, with one also wearing a balaclava. The tallest of the men was described as having a long face and a long nose.

One eyewitness said: ”As I got out of my car I heard a door bang – and as I looked up I saw the three men running away.

“Then the lady came out of her house and she was screaming for help, and saying somebody had come to her house and taken her jewellery.

“She showed me her arms, where they had ripped the bangles off her, and she was bleeding.

“She was in shock – screaming and crying.

“It is awful that you work hard to buy things and the next day they could be gone.”

Neighbours said the area has been targeted by burglars in the past, but expressed shock that the house had been broken into by robbers in broad daylight.

Another resident added: “Robbing a 70-year-old is just not on. It is disgusting.

“A lot of us are getting together to try and find out for ourselves who these guys could be.
“I would advise them to hand themselves in to the police.”

Police officers are appealing for information and witnesses.

Detective Inspector Sarah May, from Farnworth CID, said: "There was a brief struggle between the woman and the men, and she has been left with slight injuries to her arm and neck because of the force they used to rip the jewellery from her.

"It is likely the men had a vehicle parked nearby, so I would ask anyone who saw three men around the time of the offence in that area to contact us and tell us what they saw."

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.