THE stewardess of a Burnley club was kept prisoner in her own bar following a terrifying knife-point robbery.

Pamela Stonehouse lost a whole week's takings to the robber, who had posed as someone wanting to hire the venue.

She spent several hours locked in a room at the Lowerhouse Mills Social Club, better known as Lowerhouse Canteen, in Lowerhouse Lane, Burnley, and was only released when her partner Stuart Simpson found her.

Police are now hunting the man, and urged people with information to contact them.

Reliving her ordeal, the 55-year-old said: "I was upstairs in my flat when somebody knocked on the door. I went to take the alarms off to take him into the club when I turned round and he had a knife.

"He just said he wanted the money so I opened the safe up and let him have the money. Then he locked me in the room.

"It was not very nice. I had to wait for my partner to come home from work to let me out which was a couple of hours later."

But despite her ordeal, she pledged it would be business as usual tonight.

She said: "I still feel sick and shaky but I'm not going to let it affect the running of the club. I feel as if I don't go back I never will."

The robber is described as wearing a crash helmet, a black fleece zip-up top, black leather gloves, black trousers and black boots. He was brandishing a 6ins knife which had a silver handle.

Det Sgt Derek Jones, of Burnley CID, said: "This was a terrifying robbery in which a lady was threatened with a knife. She was uninjured but left extremely shaken by the incident.

"We are not sure if the offender was on a motorbike or not so we would like to hear from anybody who was in the area at about 3.30pm on Wednesday or who has any information about the incident."

He added such incidents were rare in Burnley.

Anyone with information should ring Burnley CID on 01282 472144 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.