TWO gunmen who brought terror to Radcliffe during last week's armed robbery could be hiding in the town.

Now detectives investigating the raid at Bury Council's finance offices in Whittaker Street, in which a security guard and two members of the public were shot, have stepped up their hunt for the robbers.

They have released an E-fit picture of one of the raiders and a photograph of their getaway white Austin Maestro van.

Police hope the lure of a £25,000 reward offered by Securicor for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the raiders could lead to a vital breakthrough in their inquiries.

After robbing a security guard the men sped off - chased by a council worker - before abandoning their van and escaping into a maze of paths and streets on the St Thomas's Estate.

"They were seen to go in there, but we have no reports of them coming out," said Det Insp Keith Dillon, who is leading the investigation. Asked if he felt the raiders could be Radcliffe men, given the fact they chose an estate which offers a quick disappearance, he said: "This is certainly something we haven't ignored."

The getaway van, bearing false registration plates, F293 JMB, was stolen ten days before the robbery. The plates, although in this case bogus, were an exact copy of those on a similar Maestro being used legitimately on a Heywood building site.

The genuine registration of the vehicle used in the robbery was G163 JUY. Marks to the side of the van indicate a football had been kicked against it. Detectives want to determine where the van was kept between its theft and its use in the armed robbery. They also want to talk to anyone who saw the Maestro parked up last Wednesday morning (February 5) before the raid.

The E-fit picture is of the raider seen to drive away the van. He is white, aged 33-36, of medium build with dark, collar-length hair brushed back behind the ears. He had dark eyes, was of a labourer-like appearance and wearing a black jacket and black polo-neck shirt.

During the incident, six shots were fired. Securicor guard Alan Ashcroft (30), was blasted in the arm; Douglas Kirkpatrick (38), of Grosvenor Street, Radcliffe, was shot in the leg while a bullet grazed the arm of Derrick Whalley (70), of Hindburn Close, Whitefield.

Anyone with information should ring the incident room on 856 8332 or freephone CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

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