FOUR shots were fired during an armed attack on a security van outside a Bury supermarket.

A security guard was pistol-whipped, punched and kicked by two raiders who escaped empty-handed following the failed robbery at the Aldi store in Bell Lane.

As the duo swapped getaway cars on the supermarket car park, a gunman waved his weapon to keep members of the public at bay.

Now Securicor is offering a £5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of one or both men.

The drama happened at 4.25pm on Saturday (May 9), seconds after the guard had made a second deposit of supermarket cash into the van.

He was confronted by the thugs, one of whom grabbed the security man's helmet before pistol-whipping him across the head.

Detective Inspector Ian Jackson of Bury CID said: "He was also punched as the raiders demanded he open the rear of the van. But he was unable to do so because the security flap was closed."

One raider discharged a silver handgun four times. Two bullets splintered the rear window of the security van while two shots were fired into the air.

The injured guard fled while the raiders boarded a nearby Nissan Bluebird which was driven across the car park.

Seconds later, the duo emerged. As one sprinted to a white Rover, parked 10 yards away, the gunman sat on the wall and brandished the revolver to keep away members of the public.

The Rover was later found abandoned in nearby Back Wash Lane. Both vehicles had been stolen.

Mr Jackson added: "The alarm at the rear of the store was interfered with prior to the attack.

"It must have been frightening for the guard who had the gun pointed at him. The shots directed at the van were an attempt to get access to the vehicle while the air shots were designed to frighten the guard."

The Securicor employee was treated in hospital for bruising and abrasions to the head.

One of the raiders was 5ft 5ins tall, stocky and wearing a dark scarf across his face, and black woollen gloves.

The gunman was around 5ft 6ins tall, stocky build and wearing a dark full-face balaclava with eyeholes and black gloves.

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