Family’s home terror ordeal

A COUPLE and their grandson were tied up with bags over their heads in a terrifying raid in Heyside.

The trio were watching TV when three masked robbers burst through a side door at the house in Lily Street.

The 70-year-old man, his 67-year-old wife and their 16-year-old grandson were dragged to the floor at around 5.30pm on Thursday.

Their hands were bound behind their backs with plastic zip ties, their ankles tied together and bags put over their heads. The attackers demanded money and ransacked the house — but only escaped with a small amount of cash along with house and car keys. The couple’s vehicle was not taken.

The family were tied up for nearly 20 minutes before the grandson managed to get free and phone the police.

The violent attack has shocked neighbours on the small street which is a mixture of terrace and larger houses.

One woman said: “Nothing like this has happened before. It is a very quiet street.”

The robbers were all white men, about 6ft tall and were wearing balaclavas and high-visibility jackets.

Detective Constable Kate Dawson, from Oldham CID, said: “Fortunately, no one was hurt but this family was terrified by what happened. No family should be treated like this in their own home so we are doing everything possible to find those responsible and have justice done.

“Thankfully, incidents like this are rare and this is usually a quiet area.

“Someone may have noticed something that might be relevant to our investigation. If you did please contact me.”

Anyone with information should call Oldham police on 0161-856 8951 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.