HAVE-a-go heroes have been praised after they foiled an attempted robbery at the McDonald’s restaurant in Accrington.

Three men, one armed with a hammer, approached a staff member leaving the eaterie, in Hyndburn Road, at around 10.40pm on Wednesday.

But maintenance workers Scott Ashton and Stuart Williams intervened and managed to pin him down.

Scott, 25, from Royal Avenue, Leyland, said: “We had just had a brew when we saw one of the men come in.

“Then he came back with a hammer and two others and grabbed one of the staff members.

“But we managed to step in and grab one of them. There was a scuffle but we kept hold of him.

“We were going to call the police but we saw a patrol car passing and flagged them down.”

Scott and Stuart, 28, who lives on the same road, both work for facilities management firm Northern Shire Ltd and had been repairing ducting at the restaurant at the time.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “Three people had approached the doorway of the restaurant and confronted a member of staff who had been leaving the building.

“One man holding a hammer pushed the victim back into the premises towards the tills.

“The victim was helped by two people who had witnessed the incident and intervened by chasing the group.

“Two suspects made off from the scene but one man was tackled to the floor and detained until police arrived.”

It was later confirmed that a 40-year-old man from Accrington has been held on suspicion of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

“Police wish to thank the two men who challenged and detained the alleged offender,” added the spokesman.

Ch Insp Hassan Khan, who attended the scene, also tweeted about the incident later.

He said: “What were the chances of Lancs Police officers coming across a robbery at Accrington McDonald’s?”

McDonald’s officials confirmed they were aware of the incident and were liaising with police. Anyone with information about the incident can contact police on the non-emergency number, 101, quoting log 1551 of February 6, or the Crimestoppers hotline, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.