A CLEANER bravely tried to lock a thief inside her elderly mother's home to stop him escaping before she was pushed out of the way.

Eileen O'Hare, 45, of Hesse Street, Darwen, called at her 80-year-old mum Doris's house in Borough Road, Darwen, as two men were stealing her purse. They had conned their way in.

One of the thieves, aged 18 to 20, managed to flee before an older man aged about 40 came running down the stairs.

He was stopped in the hallway by Eileen and she struggled to close the front door and lock him inside as his accomplice was pushing the door from the outside.

The older burglar then grabbed Eileen's coat collar and pushed her aside before escaping, at around 2pm on Wednesday.

Eileen said: "I have never been in a situation like that before. I was trying to keep him in until the police came but he shoved past me. He was quite determined to get away. I think he would have smacked me if I hadn't let him. I know it was stupid but I just did it. My mum was gobsmacked."

Eileen had left her mum's house for just 20 minutes to buy groceries when the younger man knocked on the door and told Doris there were problems with the water supply because of road works, and claimed she needed to fill pans with water before the supply was cut off.

She allowed him into the house and went to the kitchen to fill pots and pans while a second burglar entered the house.

When Eileen returned she found the man in the kitchen and could hear footsteps upstairs so she asked him for identification.

Eileen said: "If I hadn't come back when I did, she'd have known there was another bloke upstairs and if she had tackled them that would have been it. I would been coming home to a dead mum.

"The first night afterwards, we didn't sleep but it's put her on her toes and I've told her not to go to the door to anyone."

The tricksters searched drawers and a cupboard in the living room before taking a brown leather purse containing £42 and a bus pass. The pass has been handed in and will be checked for fingerprints.

Officers handed out about 100 letters to homes in Borough Road and surrounding streets on Wednesday night warning them of the conmen's operation and asking for information.

The younger burglar has a spotty complexion, is of a medium build and has short dark hair. He wore dark trousers and a blue tracksuit top.

The older burglar is white, of a stocky or muscular build, about 5ft 8in, with dark hair. He wore a smart short-sleeved white shirt unbuttoned at the top. It is thought they escaped in an Audi car.

Anyone with infor-mation should call Darwen CID on 01254 353842 or Crimestoppers 0800 555111.