Car torched in attempted bank robbery in Hesketh Bank

Police said the raiders escaped after setting fire to a car

Raiders who failed to rob a bank's cash machine in Lancashire set two cars ablaze as they fled, police said.

Two balaclava-clad men, armed with a large rock and a crowbar forced their way into HSBC, Station Road, Hesketh Bank at 09:10 GMT.

They threatened staff and demanded they open the cash machine but when they failed the pair fled in another car.

Lancashire Police said they torched two BMWs they used in raid, including one near the bank.

No staff were injured during the attempted robbery, the force added.

'Incredibly frightening'

Det Insp Marc Nasser, of Skelmersdale Police, said: "This incident must have been incredibly frightening for the staff who were in the bank at the time.

"However, we would like to reassure the community that incidents like this are rare."

Firefighters from Leyland tackled the blaze and confirmed no-one was injured.

Detectives believe the BMWs were stolen and are investigating where the vehicles had been stored before the raids.