ARMED police arrested three men after surrounding a car on a Bolton motorway following a dramatic 40 mile chase.

The three men were pulled out of the car and handcuffed after a high speed pursuit along three North-west motorways ended on the hard shoulder of the M61 at Kearsley.

Two police helicopters and up to a dozen police cars were involved in the drama.

The police swoop on the car by two teams of armed officers followed a gun raid on a Blackpool designer clothing store.

The robbery happened at 11.45am yesterday when three masked men burst into the store in Topping Street, in the centre of the resort. Staff inside the store were tied up and clothing worth many thousands of pounds was stolen.

Police were alerted when shoppers reported a Peugeot 205 car being driven down Topping Street at high speed on the wrong side of the road.

Minutes later the car was spotted by police patrols being driven at high speed along the M55.

Police reinforcements were called in and the Lancashire Police helicopter was scrambled.

The car was chased along the M55 and on to the M6. Officers from the Greater Manchester force joined in the pursuit on the M61 and the GMP helicopter also hovered overhead.

Up to 12 police cars then sealed off part of the M61 at Kearsley and brought the Peugeot to a halt.

Passers-by on a bridge over the motorway watched as the car was forced to stop.

One eye witness, sales representative Harold Lever, said: " Police officers with guns approached the car and the men inside were forced out.

"I saw one of them ordered to lay face down on the ground. He was spreadeagled and then handcuffed."

Three men were questioned throughout last night at Blackpool Police Station. A 24-year-old from Chorlton, a 28-year-old Sale man and a 17-year-old juvenile from Old Trafford were due to appear before magistrates in the town later today.

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