DETECTIVES today stepped up their hunt for the callous gunmen who told their victims: "It's not worth dying for".

A 30 year-old Leigh security guard and a 38 year-old Radcliffe man blasted in the raid at Radcliffe are said to be "comfortable" in Bury General Hospital.

The armed raiders struck as as the Securicor guard was transferring a cash box from Bury Council tax offices on Whittaker Street to his van parked in a nearby car park.

But eyewitnesses say, despite a volley of shots fired in the air to frighten passers-by, many people thought the gunmen were shooting blanks from a fake pistol.

One witness said Securicor guard Alan Ashcroft, 30, who lives in the Leigh area, was reaching for his radio when one of the gunmen shot him in the arm telling him it was not worth dying for. Radcliffe man Douglas Kirkpatrick, 38, who was leaving the payment offices with his seven months' pregnant girlfriend, started to give chase when he was blasted in his left leg.

Mr Kirkpatrick was reported to have told the raider he did not believe the gun was real before the gunman replied: "Isn't it?" and shot him in the leg.

A pensioner hit the fleeing men over the head with a walking stick and an un-named council worker then tried to block the escape route of the raiders' van, driven by a third man, and was shot at twice.

The gunmen fired a bullet through his windcreen and door and ordered him to move the local authority van.

Securicor today offered a £25,000 reward in a bid to catch the gang.

Bury Council's solicitor Mr Stanley Monaghan said: "One of our own members of staff was fortunate to escape injury when at least two shots were fired at his car. He acted very bravely in the circumstances in what was a very frightening situation."

The getaway vehicle was recovered later in Seymour Court, Radcliffe. The robbers left behind an unopened cash box.

A pensioner, who lives in Mather Street, said that before the robbery she had noticed a white van with a man inside, parked near the finance offices. "Suddenly, I heard two gunshots and opened my door to find out what was going on. There was a lot of commotion everywhere."

She said an elderly man waved his walking stick at the raiders as they drove off and may have been injured as the van sped off.

And forensic experts are currently examining the white Austin Maestro van used in the robbery.

Ambulance crews from Bolton treated the injured and paramedic Derek Anthony tended the injured security guard.

Det Chief Inspector Tony Simmister said he was sure that the intervention of the have-a-go heros had caused the two raiders to flee empty-handed. He said: "We could be quite easily dealing with three dead bodies."

The white Austin Maestro van was bearing false number plates - F293 JMB. The correct registration of the van, stolen from Buckley Road, Rochdale 10 days ago is G163 JUY.

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