A TERRIFIED elderly couple have broken their silence to help police find the armed men who forced their way into their home, tied them up and attacked them.

The couple, who are too frightened to reveal their identities, were at home in the High Road, Woodford Green, when they heard their doorbell ring.

Outside was a man carrying a parcel and dressed as a UPS delivery driver.

The husband said: “As soon as I opened the door, he thrust a gun in my face, pushed me back, turned me around and shouted ‘Do as you are told and you won’t get hurt’.”

The man pushed him into the kitchen and ordered him and his wife to turn their backs, as two other masked men burst into the house.

“For a split second, I thought ‘this has to be some sort of sick joke’ but then he was shouting and shouting.

“And I quickly realised it was for real.

“They tied our hands with cable ties, and all this time the first man was shouting ‘Where’s the money? Tell us where the safe is!’ “I just kept telling them ‘there is no money, there is no safe’.”

While the first man kept his gun trained on the couple in the kitchen, the other two ran upstairs and ransacked the bedroom.

The husband explained: “We don’t have a safe and I kept telling them that.

“I told them there was a box with some money in it on the bedside table, but they weren’t interested.

“The man with the gun hit me in the face and kicked me in the groin.

“Part of me thought ‘This is it’, but the other part just thought ‘he won’t do this, because he is desperate for me to tell him where this money is.’”

The raiders concentrated their attentions on the bedroom, and the couple, are convinced the attackers had the wrong address.

After 20 minutes of fruitless searching the attackers left the house, and the husband eventually managed to free himself and his wife from the cable ties.

Police have been leafleting the area near the Toyota garage since the attack at 9am on Wednesday, March 14, but have yet to make any arrests.

The husband said: “My wife is still very scared and is not happy answering the door.

“I’m not sleeping too well, but more than anything I’m annoyed that they can have done this to us.”

The man with the gun is around 6ft 2in with gingery blonde hair and a close cropped moustache.

The masked men had Irish accents. One was fat and around 6ft 2in, the other thin and around 5ft 9ins.

All three are thought to be around 40 years of age.

Anyone with information should call DC Patrick Conway 0208 345 2680 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111