TWO masked men held a steward's wife at knifepoint and demanded cash from the safe at a Farnworth club early today.

Frank Peake, aged 58, and his wife Joan, aged 53, were locked in 10ft long cupboard at Hawker Siddeley Sports Club on Gladstone Road for more than seven hours after the men escaped with more than £2,000.

The raid happened shortly after midnight when Mr Peake was locking up. The bar had shut for the night and all the customers had left.

He said: "Two men walked in through the front door carrying a knife and a crow bar.

"Their heads were covered with balaclavas, sack-type things.

"They told me to take them to the money and held a knife at my wife's throat.

"So I took them to the spirits cupboard where the safe is and they ordered me to open it. "The safe has a combination lock which took a bit of time to open. They were rushing and seemed quite anxious. They were jittery and kept telling me to hurry up.

"The men made threats but did not use the knife. I think they possibly would have done if I had refused to take them to the safe. "But they were holding a knife to my wife's throat so there was no way in the world I was going to refuse."

Mr Peake and his wife were locked in the spirits cupboard and the men escaped with the cash.

The alarm was raised when Mr Peake's daughter woke up at 7am and discovered her parents were not at home on Limefield Avenue, a property owned by the club and a five minute walk from Gladstone Road.

She contacted the club but the couple were unable to answer the telephone which was ringing on the bar because they were still locked in the spirits cupboard. So she phoned Mr Peake's sister who works part time as a barmaid at the club and she freed the couple with the keys which had been left on the bar.

The door cannot be opened from inside and Mr Peake was unable to break it down because it is heavily reinforced.

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