DETECTIVES have said the victim of a terrifying armed robbery was lucky to escape uninjured after one of the gang swung a bottle at him during the ordeal.

Just 24 hours after an armed gang robbed a takeaway delivery driver after luring him to the scene of the attack, residents at the beleaguered blocks of flats are growing sick and tired of regular criminal activity.

One Egerton Court tenant, whose parents and grandparents also live nearby, said the problem was caused by unscrupulous landlords.

"A lot of the flats owned on the right-hand side of Egerton Court are owned by people who don't care who they rent to and aren't bothered about repairs or maintenance," the resident said.

"A few of the blocks on the left are owned by landlords who stipulate who can and can't rent from them and take action against tenants who cause trouble or who use drugs."

The 26-year-old male takeaway driver was left uninjured but shaken by the incident which happened at about 1.30am on Wednesday.

An order was placed for four pizzas, four burgers and a bottle of Pepsi to be delivered to an empty flat at Egerton Court.

When the driver arrived, he was ambushed by a gang of four men and a woman, all wearing hoodies, who brandished a bottle and robbed the food and £150 in cash from him.

Detectives are now investigating the terrifying robbery and hope to bring the gang to justice before they strike again.

Detective Sergeant Mike Wallace said: "I can confirm the victim was left badly shaken by the incident we are continuing to offer support and update him with the progress of our enquiry.

"If anyone has any information in relation to this robbery I reiterate my appeal to make contact on 101 or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

DS Wallace revealed one of the men, who was the main suspect, has been described as being aged 18-20, around 6 foot in height and was wearing a hooded top with pale-coloured sleeves and black jogging bottoms.

DS Wallace added: "From further enquiries it has also been established this suspect swung the bottle towards the victim.

"It was by good fortune this didn’t connect and cause serious injury this is an aggravating feature we were not initially aware of."

Egerton Court has a reputation for being a hotspot for criminal activity but many long-standing residents are angry they are being tarred with the same brush as a small minority.

One woman who has lived in the block for more than five years said she was "fed up".

"A lot of us are getting sick and tired of this small group of people who make us all look like scumbags," she said.

"People are right when they say everyone has to live somewhere but if landlords didn't allow their tenants to get away with treating the flats like a drugs den then the place might improve."

One Barrow police officer echoed her frustration and added: "If you move the bad ones where do you move them to? Aren't you just moving the problem elsewhere?

"And with the courts seemingly trying to keep people out of prison then it's the public that isn't being protected."

A special investigation by The Mail in January revealed that, in the past five years, police were sent to the area 1,364 times, with call-outs ranging from drugs offences to robbery and domestic violence.

In January, out of 324 people who voted in an online poll asking if Egerton Court was one of Barrow's worst crime hotspots, 87 per cent said yes.

However, although the crime statistics showed a worryingly high number of incidents at the flats, the total number of call-outs has dropped each year since 2015.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Detective Sergeant Mike Wallace on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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*The Mail has agreed not to name the people quoted