THIS IS the face of one of three crooks police are hunting after a security guard was shot during a cash-in-transit raid in Ellesmere Port.

The robbers, who all wore florescent jackets, stole a large quantity of money from the van as the guard arrived to fill the cash machine at the Shell garage in Station Road at 10.55am last Wednesday.

Having shot the guard in the leg, they escaped in a stolen BMW, which was later found dumped half-a-mile away at the rear of the garages in Worcester Walk.

The guard was taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital but received only minor injuries.

Police believe a burgundy BMW may be linked to the raid and urge any witnesses to come forward with information which could help them trace it.

The car had been seen driving suspiciously in the King Street and West Road areas between 9am and 11am on the morning of the robbery.

Sgt Simon Blackwell said: 'This was a very serious incident which potentially could have been a lot worse but luckily the security guard received only minor injuries.

'We are very keen to trace a 300 Series BMW vehicle with alloy wheels.

'Also, if any males were seen wearing high-visibility jackets in the area on Monday at around 1.30pm, we'd urge the public to contact us.'

The abandoned BMW had been stolen from Widnes on Thursday, February 2, and is connected to the Merseyside area.

Anyone with information should call Sgt Simon Blackwell on 01244 613134 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.