MASKED raiders put a bin liner over the head of a pub manager before stealing £10,000 takings in a robbery that echoed a New Year story line in Coronation Street.

Jonathan Tyerman, manager at the Shepherd's Arms, Colne, was lured to the back door of the town centre pub by a woman pretending to be a police officer. He was confronted by two masked raiders who bundled him into the bar, threatened him, put the black plastic liner over his head and bound his wrists before escaping with the pub's takings. Mr Tyerman was left with a minor injury to his forehead after being assaulted by the robbers.

The incident happened just two days after a plot line in Coronation Street involving a pub robbery hours after a New Year's Eve party. The real-life raid took place shortly after 6am yesterday and police have appealed to anyone in the area at the time to contact them.

Detective Inspector Simon Leach, of Pendle CID, said: "Just after 6am a telephone call was made to the pub from a telephone kiosk in Church Street from a female caller.

"She spoke to the manager and identified herself as a police woman. She said there were prowlers at the back of the pub and asked him to go to the back door.

He went to the door and when he opened it he was confronted by two masked people who took him into the pub, threatened him with violence and ordered him to hand over the money."

Mr Leach said Mr Tyerman was unable to give a description of the intruders although he believed one was dark-skinned and either Asian or Afro-Caribbean.

"There is the strange combination of a female voice on the telephone call and the dark-skinned offender and although it was early, there may have been people in the area who saw something which could help in our inquiries," added Mr Leach.

Other people were in the pub at the time but were not disturbed and were unaware of the incident until Mr Tyerman raised the alarm.

Mr Tyerman declined to comment.

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