A terrified man has described the moment two men forced their way into his home and threatened to behead him.

The 57-year-old, who did not want to be named, heard a knock at the front door of his house in Baldwin Road, Minster, at about 10.20pm.

When he opened the door, two men with scarves across their faces and their hoods up barged their way in and held him at knifepoint.

Police at the scene of the burglary

The victim, who was home alone at the time, said: “I went to bed at about 8.30pm because I had been doing an early shift.

“Then just after 10.15pm I heard the doorbell ring. I came down in my dressing gown and opened the door.

“I usually ask who’s there before opening it but I just thought it was my partner coming back home.

“As soon as the door opened, two fellas barged in and held me at knifepoint.

“They had a machete.”

The men, who have been described as aged in their early 20s and of southern Asian appearance, then made the man go into an upstairs bedroom where they made threats and demanded money.

“They marched me upstairs where one started to search through everything in the room.

“The other one then pushed me in the bedroom with the other bloke and, as he did that, I heard him run down the stairs. This all happened in a flash.

The raiders were wearing balaclavas. Library image.

“When I heard him go into the lounge, I took the opportunity to pull open the bedroom door, run down the stairs and out the front door to my next door neighbour.

“A few seconds later, I saw both the men run along towards Chequers Road.”

The pair stole two sets of car keys during Saturday's raid, but dropped one in the road.

The victim suffered a small cut to his hand and a black eye in the scuffle.

He said: “If I hadn’t have got out of the house, I think things could have been a lot worse.

“They were threatening all sorts; one even said they would chop my head off.

“As soon as the door opened, two fellas barged in and held me at knifepoint. They had a machete” - the victim

“All I remember feeling was panic – worrying about my safety and what was going to happen next.

“I think it was a case of mistaken identity because I haven’t got anything here.

“It has really upset me. My house has been violated.

“The police have fitted some alarms and have given me a panic alarm to make me feel a bit better.”

Police said they were treating the aggravated burglary as an isolated incident and there was not believed to be any wider risk to the public.

Officers urged anyone with information to call police on 01795 419119, quoting crime reference XY/001116/17, or the anonymously Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555111.