A DRIVER was chased around his car by a thug armed with an eight-inch knife.

Dave Wilkinson managed to escape unharmed but his Nissan Micra, and his wife's handbag containing £200, were stolen by the man who pounced on Sunday evening in the car park of a nursing home in Brandlesholme.

At one point, the knifeman had the chance to drive off in the vehicle when 59-year-old Mr Wilkinson was forced to run for his life after the blade was thrust at him through the drivers side window.

However, the attacker appeared determined to pursue Mr Wilkinson a second time in what police believe was an attempt to force the father-of-two to a cash machine to withdraw more money.

Speaking about the incident, Mr Wilkinson said he was approached by the man as he waited for his wife Barbara to finish work at Bank House Nursing Home in Brandlesholme Road at 6.30pm. The man claimed he was a security guard.

Mr Wilkinson said: "The man seemed quite plausible about his job as a security guard. He was quite respectable but I knew Bank House didn't employ security guards and when I asked him for identification, things turned for the worse.

"He said I should be concerned about security because 'something like this could happen' and he reached through my window and grabbed the keys from the ignition and produced a large bladed knife," added Mr Wilkinson of Skegness Close, Bury. "He ordered me to get out of the car.

"I was at his mercy and used the car door to push him away. He then started to chase me around the car, slashing the knife around.

"The man then said that he wanted my wife's handbag from the car. It had quite a bit of money in it."

According to Mr Wilkinson, the attacker demanded his wallet and his mobile phone before he jumped into the Nissan and reversed it in the car park. Then, in a bizarre twist, the thug stopped and opened a door, ordering Mr Wilkinson to get in.

When he refused, the thief got out of the vehicle and continued the chase which only ended when Mrs Wilkinson emerged from the nursing home and screamed. The robber got back in the car and drove off towards Bury.

The vehicle has since been recovered. Police have arrested a man in connection with the incident.