SIX men are wanted following a botched a ram raid at a Co-op store in Tonge Moor Road last night.

Eye witnesses described how a pick-up truck or flatbed-type vehicle was reversed into the Co-operative shop as another pick-up blocked Tonge Moor Road to traffic. 

Raiders were attempting to steal the store's cash machine, which was inside the shop. 

The automatic front doors, indoor shutters and shelving inside were all damaged in the raid. 

Trevor Ward, who lives nearby, said: "They put a chain round the machine and tried pulling it out. 

"They tried three or four times and could not get it out. 

"I think the chain snapped and the car was headed towards next door's front window.

"There were people screaming and shouting and swearing. I could hear them saying, 'you're doing it wrong'.

"I think they tried again. They must have been at it for 10 minutes, realised they weren't going to get it and ran out into their cars and made off towards the traffic lights."

Mr Ward said he thought the vehicles were a dark-coloured Nissan pick-up and a red Toyota or Ford pick-up which reversed into the store.

He said all the neighbours called the police. He added: "I was shaking a bit myself."

Mr Ward said he had never seen anything like this before in the 12 months he has lived in Tonge Moor Road. 

He believed police officers had chased after the vehicles as they fled the scene. 

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were called to the Co-operative store at 11pm on Wednesday to reports of a robbery and that six men were wanted for the offence. 

The store is closed today. A spokesman for the Co-op, said: “We can confirm that an attack on the ATM at our store on Tonge Moor Road in Bolton occurred at approximately 11.30pm on Wednesday 24 January.

"The store is closed whilst we assess the damage and we’d like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this causes. We are working to reopen the store for the local community as soon as possible.

"The Co-op takes retail crime very seriously and implements a range of measures to both deter criminal activity and to aid convictions.  We appeal for anyone with information to come forward to the police.”

Kirit Patel, the postmaster at the nearby post office, who has worked in Tonge Moor Road for more than 30 years, said he had been told by customers that a video had been shared online but had later been taken down. 

He added that events like this in the street were worrying. He said: "Anything like this that happens you're always worried but we have contingency plans."