A woman and her children came face-to-face with an armed raider in their West Bromwich home.

Sanjit Ram says she feared for her family during the raid last night, with the intruder believed to have been armed with a knife.

Today police were investigating with forensic officers at the home in Hill Top.

Mrs Ram was downstairs at home with her sons Suraj, aged 19, and Rohan, 11, when they heard a noise upstairs just before 8pm.

Initially they thought Mrs Ram’s third son Kamaldeep, six, may have got up to go to the toilet but when Mrs Ram and Suraj went upstairs they came face-to-face with the intruder. Mrs

Ram fled downstairs shouting for Rohan to get out of the house but Suraj stayed to confront the raider.

The 37-year-old said: “It was so frightening. The man had a knife and anything could have happened. The man came out of a room and looked right at Suraj and said ‘come here’. He had a shiny object in his hand which he was pointing at him so he ran out of the house too.”

Suraj ran downstairs to join his mother and brother outside but had to leave Kamaldeep behind upstairs.

The intruder jumped over a fence and fled in the direction of the Midland Metro line. Mrs Ram said all he managed to steal was an old purse with nothing of value in it. Kamaldeep was unhurt in the incident.

Mrs Ram’s husband Santokh, aged 45, who runs the Windsor Castle pub in West Bromwich, was at work.

West Midlands Police spokesman Billy Corrigan said: “Officers were called to an address in Hill Top last night. Forensic investigators have been notified.”

The intruder is described as more than 6ft tall, white and in his 30s. He wore a black Adidas tracksuit, a hooded top and gloves. Witnesses should call police on 0345 113 5000.