Security guard attacked in cash raid

SHOTGUN-wielding raiders hit a female security guard over the head before making off with cash from an armoured van outside a wholesale store.

Police were called after four raiders held up a G4S van outside the Booker Cash and Carry store in Clacton.

Detectives are now hunting for the gang of four who pounced on the security staff as money was being taken from the store.

The gang, believed to have been equipped with a sawn-off shotgun, fled in a white van after the robbery, which happened at 5pm on Monday.

Eyewitnesses yesterday told how the incident was over within a matter of seconds.

A spokesman for G4S, a cash-in-transit firm, said: “We can confirm that two of our couriers were attacked during an incident in Clacton.

“G4S Cash Services (UK) 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.”

A spokesman for Booker Cash and Carry in Bull Hill Road, Clacton, said: “It only takes a few seconds and by the time we realised what had happened outside, they had already gone.

“Nobody from Booker Cash and Carry was hurt or outside at the time. I was one of the first people outside and those responsible had already gone.”

A spokesman for Clacton Police said the raiders were thought to have been armed with a sawn-off shotgun and had hit a female guard over the head.

He said the woman was not badly hurt in the incident but did receive treatment. The Ford Transit van used in the robbery was found later dumped in Clacton's Windmill Park area.

The amount of money stolen in the raid has not been disclosed by the police.

Anybody who saw the incident is asked to contact Clacton Police on 01255 221312.