Teen's ordeal as sledgehammer raiders strike while she is home alone

Quick thinking Lily Bradshaw, who is 14, managed to get a description of the car and also part of the registration plate during her terrifying ordeal which happened during the half term holidays.

Lily was watching television upstairs at her home in Brooklands Avenue in the afternoon, with her pet bichon frise Louie, when two men broke open the back door with a sledgehammer.

A pupil at Blessed Trinity RC College, Lily said: "I heard loud knocking at the door and when I looked out of the window I saw a car I didn't recognise.

"They started banging on the door really loud so I decided to ring my dad.

"It was really scary as they were making such a loud noise."

While Lily was on the phone to her dad, Lee Bradshaw, the burglars smashed their way into the property and began ransacking the rooms downstairs.

Frantic to get home to his daughter, Lee (46) who was working in the Brunshaw area made a mad dash across the town.

He said: "I kept Lily on the phone and I told her to lock herself in our bedroom upstairs.

"I told her to make some noise so that they knew someone was in the house.

"It probably only took me about five minutes to get home but it felt like a lifetime because there seemed to be so much traffic and roadworks everywhere."

The robbers searched the house downstairs, including an adjoining section of the house where Lee's mum, Lyn Ferguson lives, but she had nipped out on an errand.

The raiders made off with a small safe containing a selection old pound coins.

Lee, who owns a number of businesses under the name Bradmar Ltd, including Burnley Auctioneers, said: "They weren't in the house longer than five or 10 minutes and the only thing they took was the safe.

"They maybe thought there was a lot of money in there but I don't keep large amounts of cash in my home."

By the time Lee arrived home the robbers had made off, leaving Lily shaken and in tears.

Lee said: "Lily did so well, she had the presence of mind to see how many people were in the car and what type it was."

Lily's mum, Hayley, who is warehouse manager at the Original Factory shop in Rossendale Road, said: "These men need to be found after what they did.

"Lily is fine now but what a terrifying ordeal for her to go through."

Police are appealing for information about the break-in which happened at 2pm on Thursday, November 2nd.

The culprits were driving a dark coloured car believed to be a Citroen Picasso with the letters 57 ACV on the registration plate.

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting crime reference EF1712627.