POLICE have vowed to catch the armed robbers who left staff terrified during a bank raid in Hoole.

This week patrols have been heavily increased in the area following the incident at Barclay’s Bank on Hoole Road which happened just before 4pm on Friday.

Two men, one of whom was carrying a plastic-wrapped item appearing to be a firearm, stormed the building and seized thousands of pounds worth of cash before running from the scene in the direction of Kilmorey Park.

Police say the weapon was not discharged at any time during the heist and are still ascertaining whether it was genuine or imitation.

In the days following the raid, police have been regularly patrolling the streets of Hoole wearing high-visibility equipment to reassure members of the community that their investigations are ongoing.

PC Paul Rozsich from Cheshire Constabulary said people may be more comfortable about approaching the police if they saw them out and about, and were more likely to give them information, however minor it might be.

He said: “Since this incident we’ve dispatched more police patrols in the area, wearing hi-visibility equipment, in a bid to reassure people who live and work around there.

“We have names coming in that we are actively eliminating from our enquiries, and by dispatching active patrols in Hoole, we hope if people see uniformed police patrolling the streets,  they will know we are dealing with the situation.

“They will hopefully be more comfortable talking to us and give us any little piece of information which might be irrelevant to them but could be just the information we need.”

PC Rozsich added: “We are still in the process of analysing CCTV images from a number of avenues and we urge anyone who have images that cover the area, to make contact with us.”

Police have released descriptions of the men they are keen to trace.

The first male is described as white, 5'8" and of slim build.

He was dressed in a blue waterproof coat and blue tracksuit bottoms with a white strip and white Adidas trainers and was wearing a blue woollen hat with a white snowflake or tartan pattern.

The second male is described as a white male, 5’4”, and over 50 years of age.

He was of skinny build with greying hair and was dressed in a black Berghaus coat, black trousers, a maroon scarf and black trainers.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact DC Andy Collinson on 101.