A brave mother and daughter have scared off a pair of masked intruders during a terrifying home invasion in Melbourne's south-east.

Two masked offenders, armed with a knife, forced their way into a home on Arnold Road in Brighton East about 1.30am yesterday, police allege.

The noise woke the homeowner, 76-year-old Pat, who confronted the pair.

One of the offenders, holding the knife, allegedly demanded Pat hand over her car keys.

"I said 'no' and then I said 'get out of my house', and I repeated it," Pat said.

"Next thing my daughter appeared ...and she started screaming."

The offenders fled empty-handed after Pat's daughter, 54, called triple zero.

The women were not physically injured during the incident.

Police were on scene within minutes, where a police dog was able to

See Full Page