A GRANDFATHER has spoken of the moment masked raiders attacked him with a meat cleaver as his grandchildren cowered in their bed.

Steve Parker, 51, and his family are terrified to go outside after three burglars ransacked their bungalow, in Ballards Walk, Laindon.

They made off with the deposit for his daughter’s new house.

Mr Parker’s brave wife Valerie lay over their six-year-old twin grandaughters, Megan and Madison, to shield them from the horrendous ordeal.

He said: “As I opened the front door, three masked men pushed their way in.

“I tried to struggle and fight with them to stop them getting in, but the next thing I knew I was lying outside covered in blood.

“I saw that one had a meat cleaver. He grabbed me and dragged me inside and began shouting and screaming at me: ‘Where is the money? We want the money!’”

The raiders ripped off doors from cupboards and wardrobes and began tearing out the clothes and blankets inside.

The thugs then dragged Mr Parker into the bedroom.

His daughter Cheryl, 26, who was also there, said: “One of the men was so adamant there was more money, then he said he was going to kill one of us.”

Mr Parker, who has been left with a five-inch scar to his head, pointed out £1,800, most of which was a deposit for a house Cheryl was planning to rent around the corner.

The raid appeared planned as one of the men said: “We have 30 seconds left”. They then demanded to be let out the back door, where a getaway car was waiting.

The gang, made up of two black men and one white man, made off towards Great Knightleys.

The family are now scraping around for a deposit for Cheryl and her twins – but she is having second thoughts about moving there.

The violent burglary happened at about 9pm on Thursday. Anyone with information should contact detectives at Basildon CID on 101.