Masked gang ties up guards

Two security guards were recovering on Saturday after being overpowered by a masked gang who robbed their van.

Police said the gang got away with a "substantial" amount of cash during the incident in Lancashire on Friday.

The security van was targeted as the guards collected money from a Co-op store in Great Harwood.

One guard was attacked and dragged in to a waiting Suzuki van and driven from the scene, while the other was overpowered as he sat in the security van.

The guards suffered minor bruising and abrasions, and were shocked by their ordeal

Lancashire Police spokesman

Lancashire Police said the guards had been left shocked by their ordeal, even though they only suffered minor injuries.

It is not clear whether any weapons were used in the attack, at the store in Queen Street, just before 1330 BST.

A police spokesman said: "The security van had pulled in to a loading bay, and one guard collected money from the store, which he deposited in the van.

"At that moment he was attacked by a masked offender, dragged in to the waiting Suzuki van, restrained and driven away."

Seconds later, other masked men got in to the security van, attacked the second guard, and drove it to nearby Mercer Street, where the cash was stolen.

'Recovering at home'

The Suzuki van and the guard were later abandoned in nearby Clayton-le-Moors, behind the GEC complex. It is not clear how the offenders got away.

The guard eventually freed himself, before raising the alarm. Members of the public helped free the guard still in the security van, who had also been tied up.

The police spokesman said: "It is not clear how much money was taken in the robbery, but it is thought to have been a substantial amount.

"The guards suffered minor bruising and abrasions, and were shocked by their ordeal. They are now recovering at home."