AN armed gang brandishing knives and metal bars threatened terrified staff at an East Lancashire IT retail firm before making off with two pallets full of goods.

Three men wearing balaclavas burst into Micro Peripherals on the Altham Industrial Estate before stealing electronic items of unknown value, police said.

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The three staff members in the Shorten Brook Drive premises were ‘shocked’ but unhurt by the incident on Wednesday at 7.30pm.

The robbery comes eight years after a delivery driver was threatened with a lump hammer and bundled into a car boot by computer raiders.

Three men wearing balaclavas attacked the then 58-year-old driver, from Whitby, as he waited outside the company to make a 3am delivery.

The men, who had Liverpool accents, smashed their way into the lorry, which was parked in Shorten Brook Way, and threatened the driver with the hammer.

They placed a pillow over his head and bundled him into the boot of a car, where he was locked in the boot until around 6am .

And last February, a masked gang handcuffed a security guard to a radiator before escaping with £100,000 worth of computer gear from Cleverboxes in Metcalf Drive, Altham. Police have now appealed for information about Wednesday’s raid, and said they suspect the gang drove to Preston.

A group of men wearing dark clothing were seen in Roman Way unloading a white van and putting items into a smaller white van, believed to be a Renault, around an hour later.

Detectives are now checking CCTV, hunting for witnesses and are trying to trace the vehicles involved.

Det Sgt Eric Halford said: “This was a terrifying incident for those involved but thankfully no-one was hurt. I would appeal to anyone who has any information or who witnessed anything, including any suspicious activity involving the two vehicles mentioned, to get in touch on 101.”

The company declined to comment.