SHOCKING footage of a naked man fighting for his life against knife-wielding robbers has been released by police.

The dad-of-three feared his attackers could have killed him if he had not fought back and has offered a £20,000 reward for information leading to their conviction.

Property investor Eddie Nevins, 54, was asleep in bed when the robbers broke into his bungalow through a window and crept into his bedroom.

The attack has left Mr Nevins so afraid that he is now planning to sell up and move.

As previously reported in the M.E.N, Mr Nevins awoke to see one of the masked men standing over him and the other at his bedroom door with a kitchen knife.

One of the men began hitting him over the head with a piece of wood demanding to know where the safe was and shouting for the other man to stab him.

Mr Nevins said: "I don't have a safe, people don't these days, but they kept asking where it was. I have a bat at the side of my bed, so I fought back. I don't think they expected that.

"I ran outside and they came after me to try to get me back inside. If they had done I'm sure they would have killed or tortured me. It was the most horrific thing I have ever experienced in my life."

Shouting for help

Mr Nevins - whose home is set in three acres of land - ended up climbing over a fence, jumping into a nearby lake and swimming to an island in the middle where he began shouting for help. When the robbers eventually left he went to a neighbour's house for help.

He added: "My wife was in Cyprus on business at the time, so I was in the house on my own.

"I went to a neighbour's house for help. It must have been very frightening for them to see a naked man covered in blood standing at the door.

"I was black and blue from head to foot. I had a cut hand and had to have stitches in my head. My son came to see me in the hospital and he was heartbroken to see the state they had left me in.

"The injuries have healed now, but I am still suffering from nightmares. We have been doing the place up for about three years and we often have the grandchildren to stay, but we don't want to be here anymore because of what happened, so we're trying to move. We're having roller shutters put up."

The attack happened at Mr Nevins' home in Nutt Lane, Simister between 12.30am and 12.50am on May 23.

Both men had their faces covered, but one is thought to be in his 20s and the other in his 30s.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 8179 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.