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| DEFIANT: Attack victim Mohammed Aslam, left, and shop owner Khurram Sultan |
A SHOPWORKER was left covered in blood after being beaten with metal bars as he fought off masked robbers.
Mohammad Aslam had blood oozing from from his head and nose after the attack at K's Convenience, Bold Street, Accrington.
And he was forced to bang on a neighbour's door for help after his actions forced the robbers to flee.
Mr Aslam said: "I was scared and shocked and I thought What can I do?' "Then I picked up a chair and ran towards them to try to fight them off.
"What else could I do? You can't hand over the money, can you?.
"We work hard all day to make that money."Mr Aslam, who moved to Accrington from Pakistan two months ago, was standing behind the counter when the three men burst in, at 8.45pm on Monday.
Both men have vowed not to be beaten by the robbers and said they will continue to work in the shop as usual.
The attack comes just as Mr Sultan was due to install CCTV into his new shop premises.
Two of the robbers were carrying 1.5ft metal bars the other a baseball bat, but despite the threats of violence Mr Aslam refused to open the till.
As Mr Aslam ran towards them, one of the hit him across the head with a metal bar, forcing him to drop the chair as he tried to defend himself against another blow.
The masked men ran out of the shop and down Bold Street away from their dark coloured getaway car, which had been parked outside the shop.
Mr Aslam was then attacked again as he banged on the neighbour's house for help. He suffered head injuries and was treated at Royal Blackburn Hospital.
He said: "They ran into the shop and said they wanted money from the till. I locked it and I saw the chair in the corner and picked it up.
"They parked the car in front of the shop but they ran down the street.
"I ran outside to get help from the next door neighbour to get help, then they got into their car.
"It was so quick, it was all over in about five minutes or so."
Yvonne Ross, 39, of Bold Street, Accrington, who opened her door to help Mr Aslam said blood was running down his face and nose.
She said: "There was this banging on the door - it was louder than when coppers knock at the door.
"My daughter was upstairs and said there was a riot going on outside "She told me not to open the door.
"He kept banging at the door and my son Anthony Short was behind me when I opened it.
"The man was bleeding from the head and the nose.
"He doesn't speak very good English and didn't know what to do.
"I called the police for him.
"There was blood everywhere."
Mr Sultan, who bought the shop after selling a petrol station he owned in Leeds Road, Nelson, said: "Last Saturday there was a car, similar to the one used in the attack parked outside the shop.
"There were four Asian men in it.
"What can you do? Life has to go on and you carry on.
"We will just have to take extra care and have better protection."
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