Bank customer stabbed in stomach

The bank was cordoned off after the incident (Pic courtesy of Jason Leyland)

A man was stabbed in the stomach when he tried to intervene in an attempted armed robbery at a bank in Wirral.

The 53-year-old was in the Lloyds TSB bank on Old Chester Road, Rock Ferry, when a man walked in and attacked a security guard making a cash delivery.

The man, who had a knife, knocked the guard to the floor. The customer was stabbed as he tried to stop the robber.

The attacker ran off and the customer was taken to hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition.

Scene cordoned off

The security guard received a superficial wound to his hand.

He was also taken to hospital but has since been discharged.

Merseyside Police said the attacker ran off along Kings Lane, through the car park of the Kings Arms pub, over a wall and onto a pathway into Galtress Park near the Tesco Metro store.

He is white, in his late 20s, early 30s, about 6ft and of medium to stocky build.

He was wearing a light-coloured shirt, a waterproof jacket which was cream or white at the top and dark blue at the bottom, dark trousers, white trainers, a black beanie hat with a square logo on the front and back and large-framed dark glasses.

Police said it was not clear whether the offender managed to escape with any cash in the incident, which happened at about 1315 BST.

The area around the bank has been cordoned off while crime scene investigators carry out forensic examinations, and house-to-house inquiries are under way.