THREE hooded knifemen terrorised a family after breaking into their home as they slept to get the keys to their high-performance car.

The thieves threatened Philip Rothera with the weapon after targeting his house in Stanley Street, Oswaldtwistle.

Police today revealed that burglars were increasingly focusing on removing car keys when breaking into homes.

Mr Rothera was confronted by three men wearing balaclavas in the hallway of his home after he was woken by noises at 1am. The raiders had kicked down a uPVC door at the rear of the house to get in.

Mr Rothera, 29, said:"I had heard a really loud banging noise and thought someone was trying to break through the door. I dived out of the bedroom and ran downstairs, then a man in a hooded top came round the corner. He was shouting and swearing and demanding I hand over my car keys."

The robber threatened Mr Rothera with a knife, forcing him to hand over the keys to his £10,000 blue Subaru Impreza.

"My wife Michelle and two children were upstairs so I wasn't going to argue," said Mr Rothera.

"At the end of the day it's just a car and not worth losing your life over. The safety of my family was my main concern.

"My seven-year-old daughter had heard the commotion and had stayed upstairs because she was frightened. I didn't even have time to think what was going on, it all happened so quickly."

The three men then left the property, taking a set of house keys and a mobile phone with them. A fourth man may have also been waiting out in the street in another car.

Mr Rothera contacted the police immediately and the car's tracker device was activated. A helicopter was scrambled to chase the car but the thieves managed to give the police the slip. The undamaged vehicle was discovered two hours later in Hulme, Manchester.

Police believe the criminals could have been intending to use the car to commit another offence or were planning to change its number plates and sell it on.

Det Sgt Nigel Watson said: "It would seem that the motive was purely to take the car. The vehicle is now in police possession and is undergoing a thorough examination."

In two unrelated incidents yesterday, thieves made off with a £6,000 Citroen Saxo after breaking in to a house on Orchard Street, Great Harwood, and a £13,000 Audi A3 after taking keys from a house in Martholme Close.

Det Sgt Watson added: "This sort of crime is one that is on the increase, but not previously in this area."