A SECURITY guard was pounced on and wrestled to the ground by a robber outside a north Essex bank yesterday.The man, who worked for Securicor, was attacked outside Barclays Bank in Manningtree High Street shortly after 11am.

By Roddy Ashworth

A SECURITY guard was pounced on and wrestled to the ground by a robber outside a north Essex bank yesterday.

The man, who worked for Securicor, was attacked outside Barclays Bank in Manningtree High Street shortly after 11am.

Despite a passer-by coming to help the guard, the robber - described as a black man wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket - managed to get away with a cash box understood to contain a quantity of foreign currency.

It is thought he then made off in a vehicle. Police yesterday appealed for witnesses to the attack, and particularly the occupants of a blue Audi A4 which was seen in the area to get in touch.

An ambulance and a paramedic manager were sent to the scene to treat the guard, who lives in Suffolk.

Essex Ambulance service clinical operations manager, John Nicholls, said: “The guard was knocked to the ground during the robbery.

“When we arrived he was sitting up inside the bank. Although he suffered no injury, the man, who was in his 40s and from Ipswich, was clearly extremely shaken by his ordeal.

“We assessed his condition at the scene but he did not require to go to hospital and we left him in the care of colleagues from the company.”

A spokesman for G4S Cash Services (UK), who own Securicor, said: “We can confirm that one of our couriers was attacked during an incident in the Manningtree High Street at 11:04am.

“None of our staff were injured. G4S Cash Services is committed to maintaining the safety of its staff and the public.

“As such, we are in regular discussions with trade unions, the police, the Government and local authorities to develop initiatives that will curtail the growing number of attacks taking place on the cash-in-transit industry.”

David Dickinson, chief executive of the British Security Industry Association said: “Cash-in-transit robbery is on the increase and this attack is yet another reminder of the seriousness of this type of crime.

“It is a human crime perpetrated against men and women going about their everyday working lives performing an essential public service.”

Anybody with information about the robbery is asked to contact Clacton CID on 01255 221312.