“GIVE us the money or you’ll never walk again.”

Those were the chilling words two brutal robbers threatened a Felixstowe pensioner with as they ransacked his home and demanded cash.

One of the men was armed with a two foot long baton and after finding a safe, they forced the victim to open it and hand over �4,500 of he and his wife’s savings.

The terrifying robbery happened at the home of former bookmaker Eric Dalziel, 77, who today said he was thankful he had not been injured by the pair.

“He must have told me ten times – ‘Give us the money or you’ll never walk again’,” said Mr Dalziel.

He was at his home off Wesel Avenue, Cavendish Park, Felixstowe, at about 2pm on Tuesday when two men called.

“They asked me if I was alone and then pushed into the house,” said Mr Dalziel, who used to run Dalziel Racing in Beach Station Road, Felixstowe.

“They didn’t even look in the kitchen, lounge or dining room and went straight upstairs and started going through the bedrooms and turning over the mattresses.

“They then forced me to open the safe.

“At first I pretended I couldn’t get the right combination, and five or six times I just made out that it wouldn’t open.

“Then they said they would take the safe and because my wife and I keep our passports in there and our house deeds, I was not prepared for them to take it, so I opened it and handed them five envelopes of cash – �4,500.”

Mr Dalziel said the frightening incident lasted ten to 12 minutes.

While one man kept making the threats to break his legs, the other never said a word.

“One of them had a baton – it wasn’t a cricket bat or a baseball bat. It was about two feet long and two-and-a-half inches in diameter,” he said.

“When they left I looked out of the kitchen window and saw them get into a car. I could see there was a D on the registration but the rest was covered up.”

Mr Dalziel’s wife Gwen, 72, was not at home at the time.

The couple have three grown-up sons.

“I am glad she was not here as it was very frightening, and I am just thankful that I was not injured,” he said.

The incident happened between 2pm and 2.15pm on Tuesday.

A police spokeswoman said one robber was white, around 6 ft 3ins, in his mid-40s, of average build, unshaven, with a bald head with what appeared to be black tape on his forehead, and the other Asian, around 5ft 9ins, of average build, in his mid-30s.

They are thought to have driven a dark blue BMW 3 series car, with a ‘D’ registration number plate.”

? Anyone with any information in relation to the incident is asked to call Dc John Kirby at Ipswich CID on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

? Have you got a message of support for Eric? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or you can e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk