A GANG ringleader who was caught in a police chase through Bolton has been jailed for 13 years and two months.

Lee Seddon was the boss of a gang responsible for a string of armed robberies on vans containing cash for ATM machines.

The Darcy Lever man was caught by police in February last year after an 80mph police chase through Bolton.

The 37-year-old had featured on BBC1's Crimewatch in relation to a robbery at a newsagents in Preston, in which two security guards were robbed by a gang of three men.

He admitted two counts of conspiracy to rob and one of dangerous driving.

Seddon was arrested on Monday, February 10 after police spotted his silver Vauxhall Astra van and chased him through Over Hulton, Bromley Cross and Bradshaw, utilising five police cars and the force helicopter.

The fugitive even attempted to ram two police cars with his van before running away, but he was arrested in Folds Road, near Tonge Moor.

Three other members of his gang were jailed alongside Seddon at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday, February 3, joining two others sentenced in December, 2013.

The gang of six men convicted are now serving combined sentences of 58 years between them.

Bromley Cross man Phillip Fisher, aged 32, of Clarendon Gardens, was also jailed for 12 years for two counts of conspiracy to rob.

Stephen Farrell, aged 35, of Mark Avenue, Salford, was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to rob.

Jordan Wheeldon, aged 26, of Seaford Road, Salford, five years four months for conspiracy to rob.

Just over a year ago, Michael Bond, aged 32, of Gorsey Avenue, Wythenshawe, was sentenced in December 2013 to 10 years and eight months for conspiracy to rob and aggravated vehicle taking.

Robert Pinkney, aged 32, of Isis Close, Salford, was sentenced in December 2013 to six years and eight months in jail for conspiracy to rob.

The gang's robberies were understood to be worth close to £300,000, and took place in Preston, Cleveleys, Stoke-on-Trent and Middlesbrough between 2011 and 2013.

Brett Gerrity, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North West said: “These men used sophisticated methods to monitor the movements of cash in transit vans, before striking and stealing substantial amounts of money from terrified staff.

“Members of the gang of which Lee Seddon was a pivotal member, had committed similar offences in the past. "Stephen Farrell committed the offences when he was at large from prison where he was serving a sentence for conspiracy to rob. "There is no doubt that they posed a significant risk of serious harm to security staff who were simply going about their daily duties.

"Robberies such as these are not victimless crimes; the staff who are targeted are forced to endure untold distress both during and after their ordeals."