RAIDERS got away with £10,000 of necklaces after smashing their way into a Nelson jewellers.

The four-strong gang were chased off by the owner of the shop in Every Street after they broke in through shu-tters early yesterday morning.

Father-of-two Muhammad Anwar said he was in his living room behind Anwar Jewellers when he spotted four hooded youths walking up Maurice Street via his CCTV cameras.

The 67-year-old said he had become so concerned his business was going to be targeted, he had taken to sitting up all night watching TV and monitoring his external CCTV.

Mr Anwar said: “There has been a lot of jewellery store robberies recently and I thought if I stayed up watching the CCTV cameras I would be protecting my shop.

“Around 1.23am I noticed four lads approaching and instantly I knew something was up.

“I grabbed the phone and called the police, my plan was not to let them know I had seen them, alert the police and watch them get arrested.

“But that didn’t happen, it all went so quickly, they used some sort of crowbar to force the shutter and then they were in the shop.

“Luckily, all the big expensive items are put in the safe at the end of the day but they still got away with about £10,000 worth of small necklaces and trinkets.”

As the robbers smashed the shop window Mr Anwar’s family who were asleep upstairs were woken up.

His daughter Fozia Anwar, 28, and his wife Naghmana, 37, put their heads out of an upstairs window to see what was happening and were sprayed with a fire extinguisher.

Mr Anwar said: “My son-in-law, Sajed Maqsood, tried to find the gang’s getaway car so the police would have a registration number to go off but he was unable to find it.

“My whole family is in shock, we thought we had done everything possible to prevent this. I just hope the police catch this gang quickly.”

On Friday last week, The City of Gold Jewellers, in Manchester Road, Nelson was targeted by a masked gang wielding a machete, sledge hammer and two axes.

Five people from the Birmingham area have been charged with armed robbery in relation to that incident.

DS Nick Hodgson said; “I would appeal to anyone with information about this robbery to come forward.”