DETECTIVES have made a renewed appeal to find two men who stole the Mayor of Bury's chains in a violent robbery.

Officers have issued the plea for help nearly five months after Cllr Michelle Wiseman's chains were stolen, when her driver Jet Vyas was attacked and hit on the shoulder with a hammer by a man in a balaclava.

Mr Vyas is still off work recovering from the attack, which left him with a fractured shoulder.

There have been no arrests made since the incident on October 30 last year, despite a £10,000 reward being offered, and police officers hope that people who may have information will now come forward.

The Mayor’s chain, known as the Bury chain, is worth £200,000, and was given to the Mayor of Bury in 1877.

In addition, the Mayoress' chain, which was also stolen, is extremely rare and is just one of five made.

Shortly before the attack, which happened at about 10.15pm in Stonemere Drive, Radcliffe, the Mayor had attended Radcliffe’s first ever festival of remembrance, held at the Radcliffe Civic Suite.

Detective Constable Martin Brown, of Bury Police, said: "It has been a number of months since these chains, which are of enormous historical and monetary value, were stolen during a violent robbery during which the driver was attacked with a hammer.

"We are continuing to pursue a number of lines of inquiry, but as yet we have neither recovered the chains nor made any arrests, so I am re-appealing to the public of Bury to help us find those responsible.

"Although the scrap metal is dwarfed by the historical significance and heritage of these chains, the culprits will only profit from this theft by selling the chains on the black market or by melting them down.

"So I would appeal to metal dealers, not just in Bury but throughout Manchester, to be vigilant and if you come into contact with anyone offering you these chains then please do the right thing and call us.

He added: "We are also continuing to appeal for anyone who may have seen a green VW Polo in the area at the time of the offence to come forward with any information they have."

Cllr Wiseman has also made a plea for the recovery of the chains.

She said: "This was a terrible attack on my driver, who is still off work due to the severity of his injuries. We are also desperate to recover these ceremonial chains, which are an important part of the borough’s history.

"There is a reward of £10,000 for their return, and I would urge anyone who has information about this robbery to contact the police."

Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.