A COUPLE were attacked with a machete and threatened with a gun, before being tied up by three masked burglars in front of their three-year-old grandson.

The horrifying attack took place moments after Phil and Annette Ward, of Foxearth Avenue, Clifton, returned to their home at around 11pm on Saturday, June 28.

As the couple got inside, three masked men burst into the house, armed with a machete, a gun and metal bar.

LISTEN TO PHIL AND ANNETTE DESCRIBING THEIR ORDEAL

Mr Ward was then hit with a machete and tied up in the living room and Mrs Ward was ordered into a cupboard underneath the stairs.

Their three-year-old grandson, Oliver Jarvis, was left alone on the settee and could see everything that was happening.

Oliver's mother Hayley said: "Mum was saying 'they are playing, they are only playing' as Oliver was watching her get hit. She was so brave."

During the ordeal one of the burglars kept an eye on the family, another guarded the front door, while another searched the house.

The burglars remained inside the property for around two hours searching the house stealing a large quantity of cash and jewellery.

At one point, one of the burglars took Mr Ward in to the kitchen and held a knife to his ear before threatening to cut it off.

Once the offenders had fled, Mrs Ward managed to alert a neighbour who called the police.

Mr Ward, 50, who runs an off-licence in Clifton, said the attack had left his family 'traumatised'.

"We'd just got home when three masked men burst into the house and started grappling with me," he said.

"I was absolutely terrified and tried to fight back, but then one of the men hit me across the head with a machete.

"I thought they were going to kill me - it was the most terrifying experience of my life – we have all been left traumatised and I've lost some of my confidence."

The attackers were all were wearing dark clothing and had facemasks.

One is thought to be white/light skinned, around 5ft 6in tall and of slim build.

A second man is described as black, around 6ft tall and of medium build. The third is described as mixed race, 6ft 2in tall and of slim build.

Mrs Ward, also 50, said: "It's the sort of thing you see on TV, but not something you expect to ever go through.

"Of course myself and Phil have been badly affected, however I think our grandson has been left the most frightened. He seems less out going and appears scared of the dark."

Detective Sergeant Neil Fountain, of Meadows CID, said: "This burglary was carried out in a menacing and terrorising fashion, leaving one family terrified.

"This kind of extreme violence is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the public, nor by Nottinghamshire Police.

"Clearly we need to identify the burglars and I would ask anyone who either knows the offenders or their whereabouts to contact the police immediately.

"In addition I would ask anyone who was in or around the Foxearth Avenue late Saturday or early Sunday, to cast their minds back and see if they can remember anyone acting suspiciously and any vehicles associated with those individuals."

Anyone with information is asked to call Notts Police on 0115 967 0999 and ask for Meadows CID on ext 6464. Alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.