A BRAVE council worker who continued to trail vicious armed raiders after they blasted two bullets into his van has been hailed as a hero.

And breaking his silence for the first time, the 33-year-old has told how he pursued the robbers while giving his bosses a running commentary on his walkie-talkie.

Speaking after the drama on Wednesday, February 5, the Bury man said: "To be honest, what happened hasn't sunk in yet. It was just instinct - I didn't really have any time to think."

The chase happened minutes after the two raiders had shot a security guard and two passers-by in the car park of Bury Council's finance office in Whittaker Street, Radcliffe.

It is believed the target of the raid, a Securicor van, contained up to £1 million in cash.

The council worker, who arrived on the scene as the robbery was taking place, tried to block the escape route of the raiders' getaway white Austin Maestro van. One of the gunman pumped two bullets into his Mercedes van.

Ignoring the danger, the courageous building maintenance services worker followed the Maestro for 200 yards before the two raiders abandoned their vehicle in Seymour Court and ran off into the St Thomas's Estate.

Praising the actions of the local authority employee, Det Ch Insp Tony Simister of Bury CID said: "This was an extremely brave man who saw what he did as his public duty. I must applaud his bravery."

Now, detectives have launched a massive hunt for the two armed men who struck in the car park of the offices on Wednesday morning. One gunman, wearing a fake beard and moustache, confronted 30-year-old Securicor guard Alan Ashcroft from Leigh as he was transferring a cash box into his van and demanded he open the vehicle's doors.

He refused and one of the gunman shot into the air. When the guard again ignored the request, he was shot in the arm. Whitefield pensioner, Derrick Whalley (70) who was leaving the offices, attacked one of the gunman with his walking stick. He too was blasted but luckily the bullet grazed him.

However, 38-year-old Douglas Kirkpatrick from Radcliffe, who had been paying his council tax in the company of his pregnant girlfriend was shot in the left leg while he tried to intervene. The two raiders then sprinted from the car park to nearby Parsonage Street where their Maestro van was waiting. Just seconds before, the council employee had arrived to deliver keys to the office.

He said: "As I pulled up, I heard shouting and looked over and saw the commotion. As first, I thought someone was attempting to steal the Securicor van. But then I saw one of the gunmen run through the car park gate towards me.

"Suddenly, he aimed his gun at my passenger window and fired. I never saw where the bullet went and only found it later it lodged itself in the dashboard.

"I was in the middle of the road and blocking off their van. The driver reversed it and I reversed my vehicle as one of the gunman ran alongside. He then fired again and this time he hit my driver's door."

The employee continued: "I followed them up Seddon Street, Water Street, Spring Lane and Darbyshire Street before they abandoned the van in Seymour Court. When I got there, I decided to continue the chase on foot but I suddenly thought to myself 'wait, what am I doing here'?

"When I first arrived at the office and saw what was happening, I used my walkie-talkie and told my emergency control there was an armed raid. And when I chased the van, I had one hand on the wheel and the other on my radio, giving them a running commentary."

Now, detectives are anxious to talk to anyone in the Seymour Court area who may have seen the armed men on foot. One was aged 30, 5ft 11ins tall, stocky build with short dark hair and wearing dark, thick-rimmed spectacles, dark anorak and trousers and carrying a silver revolver. His accomplice was stocky and wore a full-face blue crash helmet with brown and yellow zig-zag markings and dark clothes. He also carried a revolver.

Police say the Maestro van, bearing a false registration plate F293 JMB, had been stolen from Rochdale ten days earlier. They want to determine where it was located prior to the raid.

The cash box, stolen by the two men, was found intact on a pavement outside the tax office.

Both shot men are "comfortable" in Bury General Hospital.

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