A TAXI driver has re-lived the moment two thugs tried to rob him and attacked his car with swords and bats.

Iqbal Ismail, who drives for Metro in Tonge Moor, said he had a lucky escape after the armed men banged on his car window and said: “Give us your money.”

He locked himself in the car and managed to drive away but the thugs chased after him, hitting the car with the weapons and leaving Mr Ismail terrified.

But Mr Ismail, aged 43, of Thomas Holden Street, Bolton, said: “It’s part of the job.”

He said: “If I just feel scared and stay at home, who will feed my kids? It is awful, but I have to carry on because I have no qualifications to do another job.”

Mr Ismail had driven to an address in Rothwell Lane, Little Hulton, when the attack happened.

The thugs had made a hoax call to Metro and, when Mr Ismail pulled up, they approached his Toyota Avensis and demanded money.

He said: “They tried to hit me and said: ‘Give us your money’ and I locked the door.

They started hitting the car will a long knife — about six feet long — and I drove off.

“I rang the police and then the office to tell them I was OK. It was terrifying.”

Mr Ismail, who has been a taxi driver for more than 12 years, is married with three children.

Nick Astley, aged 43, who has run Metro for about 10 years, said attacks on drivers were common.

He said: “I’ve been in taxis since I was 18 and it’s getting worse. If you got all our drivers together, one in eight would say something like this had happened to them.

“Taxi drivers sometimes have a bad name, but you don’t hear about what they have to contend with. It’s very upsetting, but what can you do? At Metro we do everything we can to look out for the safety of our drivers.”

The firm has been in Mr Astley’s family for more than 30 years and currently employs around 400 drivers.

Police are investigating the attack, which happened last Saturday at about 1.30am, and are appealing for witnesses to call them on 0161 872 5050, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 11.