BRICK-WIELDING gangsters smashed into a Huddersfield pub before fleeing with charity cash.

Three men in balaclavas broke into The Bridge at Longroyd Bridge and threatened the managers, Derek Hopton and Dawn Eastwood.

They forced them to hand over £1,800 raised in aid of the National Association for Bikers with Disabilities.

The charity is especially close to the couple’s heart because Derek, 49, lost his leg in a motorcycle accident.

And the raid was a bitter blow for the couple, coming just days before their wedding day.

Dawn, 42, said: “It was extremely frightening.

“I think we were all very lucky to get away without being seriously hurt. It’s not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

“I spent most of the day after crying but now I’m just angry. To me they are the scum of the earth.”

The couple, as well as Dawn’s son, Shane, and his girlfriend, Karolina Sznam, were in bed in the flat above the Manchester Road pub when they heard a window smash at about 3.40am on Monday.

Dawn said: “Before we got the chance to see what was going on three men in balaclavas and hoodies burst into our bedroom.

“They were carrying bricks and concrete paving and asking where all the money was.

“My son came running up the hallway over a load of broken glass to see what was going on.

“Two of them grabbed him and pulled him back to his room.”

Shane, 17, tried to fight one of the men, but was hit with a glass. He suffered two broken fingers and a suspected broken nose.

Karolina was punched when she tried to push the man out of the way.

In the other bedroom, one of the raiders kicked Derek’s false leg out of the way so he could not get up and threatened him with a concrete slab.

The gang ordered Dawn to open the safe, where the charity money was being kept.

“I told them it was all charity money but they didn’t care,” she said.

“They were the lowest of the low.”

The gang also took about £230 from the pub float and three mobile phones.

Dawn said she and Derek were determined to enjoy their wedding this Saturday – including a reception at the pub – and their honeymoon in Gran Canaria.

“We just have to get our heads together and concentrate on having a ball,” she said.

A police spokesman said: “This must have been a terrifying experience for all concerned.”

Two of the men were believed to be in their 20s. The other was under 20. They all had athletic builds. Anyone with information should call Pc David Butler via 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.