AN 87-YEAR-OLD woman was tied up by two men during a terrifying raid on her Great Sutton home.

Intruders smashed their way into the property in the Pennington Green area through the kitchen door at about 8pm on Sunday.

They forced the elderly resident to the floor before tying her feet together with gaffer tape.

During the struggle she managed to press her panic alarm, which she had hung round her neck, to alert police.

This panicked the men and caused them to flee the scene.

Both are described as being well built, between 5ft 8ins and 6ft tall and wearing dark clothing, which also covered their faces, and dark gloves.

The woman was left extremely shaken but was not badly hurt.

Police say the panic alarm prevented what could have been an even more serious incident and urged anyone with information about the incident to contact them immediately.

Detective Sergeant Mike Ankers said: “This was an extremely terrifying crime. They used a high level of force against someone so vulnerable.

“We are treating this investigation very seriously and have teams from Ellesmere Port and Chester working on it.

“We’d like to assure people that this type of incident is extremely rare.

“Residents should ensure they have security lighting, secure locks and heavy doors.”

Head of the borough council’s housing department Tony Mousdale said: “We are delighted the Lifeline [alarm] service has proved so invaluable to this resident.

“The alarms offer great peace of mind to over 1,200 elderly residents in our borough, who know that if they fall, become seriously ill or are in trouble of any kind they can contact our central control team at any time of the day or night, wherever they are in their home, at the push of a button.

“The central control team was pleased to come to this lady’s aid and would like to wish her well. Anyone interested in having a Lifeline personal alarm installed can contact Social Services on 0151 357 4500.”

If you saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area or have any information call DS Mike Ankers or DC Henry Platten on 01244 613165, or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.