DETECTIVES are hunting three men after a £14,000 armed raid on a supermarket. The masked gang pounced after a security van drew up outside the Aldi store in Fountain Place, Whitefield.

The raiders' stolen Subaru pulled up alongside and two men, armed with a small handgun and machete, confronted a security guard.

After being threatened, the guard threw a cash box containing the money at the men who seconds later escaped after swapping their getaway vehicle.

The drama happened at 4pm on Saturday. Police say the Subaru had been stolen sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning from Richmond Avenue in Prestwich.

Det Sgt Mick Baker of Bury police crime management unit said: "When they got the cash box, the men ran off. They then jumped over a nearby fence. The man in the Subaru van then drove the vehicle to the fence, got out and also jumped over the fence."

All three then got into a waiting Peugeot saloon, registration G368 ODB, which had been stolen between Wednesday and Thursday from Rochester Avenue in Prestwich. It roared off, leaving behind the empty cash box.

Police are still looking for the Peugeot and have appealed to the public to help find the vehicle. They also want to determine if the car was abandoned and trace the gang's movements after the robbery.

The security guard was uninjured in the raid.

The gunman was described as 5ft 6 ins tall, of medium build and wore a balaclava mask and dark clothing.

His accomplice carrying the machete was about the same height and he too wore a balaclava and dark clothing.

The getaway car driver was a white male, aged 20, 5ft 6ins tall with blond curly hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bury police crime management unit, in confidence, on 856-8157.

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