MASKED raiders escaped at high speed across fields with nearly £1M in used notes after an armed attack on a security depot.

Two vehicles were used to block off the Securitas unit in Roman Way Industrial Estate, Ribbleton, in an attack policed described as a "meticulously planned robbery".

One man rammed a hole in the brick wall with a stolen tipper truck, his accomplice stood guard with a hand gun and two went inside and grabbed the cash.

Det Insp Bob Helm said: "It was a very well planned attack, a meticulous robbery, carried out by obviously very dangerous criminals. They were thoroughly prepared for it."

Police believe three or four men were involved in the incident at 7.10pm on Tuesday (February 11), during which shots were fired, but no one was hurt.

Two vehicles, a blue Astra and the tipper truck, both stolen beforehand, blocked off two Securitas vans which had arrived to unload.

The guards remained in the vehicles throughout the attack and inside the depot, three others hid in a secure area.

As the raiders made their getaway in a cream-coloured Landcruiser, one of the security vans tried a last ditched attempt to stop them, by ramming the jeep.

Three men, all medium build, about 5ft 10ins tall, wearing dark clothing, black balaclavas and gloves, escaped by cutting through the Crematorium, across playing fields along a pre-cut track before abandoning their car near the M6.

Police don't know whether they escaped via the motorway, or on country roads towards Longridge.

Speaking from the depot, as police searched for forensic evidence, a Securitas spokeswoman said: "There's no comment to be made at this stage."

Police have been drafted officers in from the regional crime squad and around 25 are currently working on the case from the incident room at Hutton.

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