'Terrifying': Four masked men threaten Burnley resident with large hammers during break-in

Three men are in police custody today and several vehicles have also been seized following the incident.

Four men in balaclavas approached an address in Branch Road at around 11-45pm last night, before breaking in and threatening the occupant with large hammers. They carried out a search of the address, before making off.

Officers quickly located the van on Forfar Street and found three men inside it.

A 19-year-old, 21-year-old and 30-year-old, all from Burnley, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of aggravated burglary in a dwelling and all three remain in custody.

The van was seized, along with another two vehicles, and enquiries are continuing.

At this time, detectives believe the incident was targeted, albeit possibly a case of mistaken identity.

Det Supt Nick Connaughton, of Burnley Police, said: “This must have been a terrifying ordeal for the victim and we are just thankful he was not injured. He is being supported by specially-trained officers and an investigation has been launched.

“We appreciate this incident will have caused wider concern in the community and we would like to reassure residents that while this type of incident is rare, we take it very seriously.

“In 2022 we launched Op Defender, which is a force-wide campaign to crackdown on residential burglary, and we hope this sends a message that we will not stand for our residents being made to feel unsafe or violated in their own homes. This kind of incident will absolutely not be tolerated in Lancashire.

“Our enquiries are very much ongoing so if you know anything about this incident, or have CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage which you think could be useful, please tell us as soon as possible.”

Anybody with information should call 101, quoting log 1523 of January 11th. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

1212