The owners of a Chinese takeaway held at knifepoint said they moved to a village for a quiet life.

Bill and Fen Ho, of The Bagillt Palace Fish and Chips and Chinese Takeaway, said they feared for their lives as a man jumped over the counter at their Station Road restaurant before grabbing a knife from the kitchen and threatening them with it.

Mr Ho moved from to Flintshire from Wolverhampton a year ago with his wife and two children. He said he moved from “a big city to a small village” in a bid to live a “simple life.”

Bagillt Palace Fish and Chips and Chinese Takeaway

But following a second bout of violence towards himself and his wife in the past six months, the father-of-two has decided to speak out against the growing anti-social behaviour in Bagillt.

He said: “We’ve never seen violence like this. This is not my fault but when it’s in my shop, it’s affecting my business.

“The attack happened on Friday, and then with Saturday and Sunday straight after, we’ve found we’ve lost 50 per cent profit.

“These things are scaring our customers away and these silly kids in the village are affecting my business. I moved here from a big city for a simple life.

“If people are scared to come to my shop, I lose all business. I have my family to look after.

“We chose to move here for a nice life, a simple life. I have an eight-year-old and a 10-year-old and I just want to run the shop to look after my family.

“In 10 years, my kids will be in uni and I want the nice life me and my family deserve.

“I am happy to let people know that we have had enough of this violence and we want it to stop. We just want a good business.”

Mr Ho described the incident on Friday as “scary” and “shocking.”

He recalled as a male and female entered his shop and before he knew it, the male jumped over the counter, grabbed a machete and branded it towards himself and Fen, as they were both on shift.

Mr Ho said: “I didn’t see his face, and I didn’t recognise either of them.

“I just thought he wanted the money so I didn’t know what to say. It all happened quickly. I was very shocked.”

Mr Ho added that his initial thought was ensuring his customers safety, ordering the two customers who were in there at the time to escape through the back door leading from the kitchen.

He said: “All I could think of was to get them out. It’s my shop, and it’s people we know. I wanted to make sure first they were safe.

“It’s a small village and everyone knows each other.

“The man looked angry and he didn’t calm down. The other lady he came with told him to let go and give back the knife then they both just left.”

Mr Ho remembered feeling his life was in danger, and knew it was time something must be said about the violence in the village.

Cllr Mike Rees, who is equally concerned about recent crimes this month, said: “This is getting a bit beyond now.

“The quicker we get cameras in the village, the safer it will be. We need to stamp this lot out because you can’t go any Friday, Saturday or Sunday night without having this sort of thing.

“Businesses are going downhill, and the Chinese shop and the Kebab shop are the last two places left in the village.

“When I was 15-years-old, there were 31 shops here. Now with everything happening, businesses have gone.

“This vandalism, crime, and hooliganism has to stop.”

North Wales Police were called to reports of an affray at the Chinese take away shortly after 9pm on Friday.

A spokesman said: “No one was arrested and the inquiry is ongoing.”

Anyone with information can contact NWP on 101, quoting reference number W013250.