Men wielding hammers break into Burnley home
Three men are being questioned on suspicion of aggravated burglary
A man has escaped unhurt after a group of people wearing balaclavas burst into his Burnley home and threatened him with large hammers.
It happened on Branch Road at around 11:45pm on Wednesday 11 January.
The group broke in and searched the house before making off.
A short time later, officers found a van on Forfar Street with three men inside.
Three men from Burnley - aged 19, 21 and 30 - have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.
The van and two other vehicles have been seized.
Detectives think it was a targeted attack and a possible 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."
Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting log 1523 of 11 January.