A MACHETE and a crossbow were brandished during a disturbance at a Darwen bar.

Blackburn magistrates heard the weapons were used by two men who returned to Taps Bar on Railway Road following an earlier confrontation.

The front window of the bar was smashed as terrified customers looked on from inside during the incident on March 17.

Martin Lewis Collins, 30, of Gifford Way, Darwen, admitted affray and possessing an offensive weapon, a machete, in a public place.

He was sent in custody to Preston Crown Court to be sentenced after the magistrates ruled their powers of punishment were insufficient.

Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said the first incident occurred at 9.30pm when Collins and another man were involved in a physical altercation with a man at Taps Bar.

Collins and the other man left but returned at 9.48pm. Collins was carrying a machete and the other man a crossbow.

“Mr Ashton was no longer in the bar which was then attacked with the machete,” said Miss Akhtar. “Collins swung the weapon several times, smashing the front window.

“There were people in the bar and passers-by who would clearly have been frightened by this incident.”

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said during the earlier confrontation his client, a father of three, had been assaulted and threats had been made towards him.

“He accepts he has reacted badly to that,” said Mr Taylor.

“He realises he has let himself, his family and his employer down by his behaviour.”

Mr Taylor said there were people in the bar shouting and his client was shouting back.

“He caused no problems for anyone who was passing by or anything like that,” said Mr Taylor.

The owner of the Taps Bar, Gary Perkins, described the actions of the attackers as ‘saddening’.

He said: “The guys were looking for an individual in the town and took it out on one of my customers. We are a bar and restaurant and do not let those type of people into our establishment."

“Unfortunately we were one of the places they targeted that evening.”

Mr Perkins added: “Darwen does not need any violence. It’s a good town and it’s a small minority of people that have let us down, which is sad.”

Collins will appear at Crown Court on April 23.