A PETROL station owner has spoken of the moment he thought he was going to die when violent raiders burst into his garage.

Wasim Raja was attacked with a kitchen knife and sprayed in the face with a CS canister by two men inside the Save service station in Manchester Road, Kearsley.

The thugs stole cash from the till and cigarettes worth £300.

Mr Raja, aged 38, said: "For a moment I was afraid for my life. I thought I might not see my family and children again."

The shocked father of three says the robbery is the latest in a series of violent attacks on petrol stations in Manchester Road.

He added: "My family are very upset and they are very worried about me going back to work.

"We work very hard for a living for them to come and take everything away and leave me feeling very insecure. The area is getting worse and there have been countless similar robberies." His ordeal began at 9.30pm on Saturday as he was reading a paper behind the counter when two men walked in and demanded cash.

Mr Raja said: "One of the men had a kitchen knife and he pointed it at me and asked for money. I was scared because it has not happened to me before."

He handed the money over but they demanded more and sprayed him in the eyes with the tear gas.

Mr Raja added: "I could not see for about five minutes. I was totally blind. They pushed me into the office and told me they would kill me. They did go to stab me in the chest but it just grazed me."

The thugs then ran to a waiting car and escaped.

Mr Raja -- who has owned the business for three years -- was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital for checks but was later released.

The first raider was white and was wearing a white sweater. The other was black, wearing a black sweater. Both were aged 20 to 25.

Police have urged witnesses to contact them on 0161 872 5050 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.