POLICE have been criticised for a delayed response after thieves stole a van from a car dealership, before narrowly avoiding running over a member of staff.

Now Bristol Street Motors, in Higher Bridge Street, Bolton, is offering a £1,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.

Despite a Facebook appeal which has led to a number of people claiming to recognise two of the men responsible, police have yet to visit the site following the incident on Saturday afternoon. Staff were working at the showroom when they noticed that one of the courtesy vans was missing.

They saw that no one had checked it out and CCTV showed two men driving into the service area in a van.

There was no staff present at the time and one of the men gained access to an office and took the spare key to one of the company’s vans before driving out again.

One of the men then walked back over and stole the courtesy van from the car park and drove it off.

A member of staff saw on the CCTV that the thieves’ own van had been parked in the nearby Aldi car park, so six workers went to block it in.

A staff member, who asked not to be named, said: “We realised that he had accomplices, about three of them. As we went towards the van, a blue Ford Focus came careering around the car park. One of the guys jumped into the car and they went off up the road.

“Two minutes later this car came back with the guy that had taken our van in it.

“He got to his van before we knew what was happening. He drove his van straight at me as I was on the phone giving a police officer the vehicle registration.

“He drove it straight at me. I didn’t really have time think. He drove around me at the last minute. He managed to get round me and careered off.

“I didn’t think about it, I just wanted to stop the guy.”

The staff member added: “I have made three phone calls to the police. First I got told they would be along in a couple of days.

“They told me to go to Aldi and get CCTV from them.

“I said ‘why am I doing that?’ and they told me they did not have the resources. But the people who do Aldi’s CCTV said there was no reason they would give it to me.

“Not one officer has stepped foot on the site. I’m not particularly convinced they will ever come.”

Despite this, the dealership has praised the reaction of the public.

The staff member said: “People on Facebook have been brilliant. We have had so many people coming up with the same names. What we are being told is they are not very nice people.

“I’ve got the CCTV, I’ve got the registration, I’ve got the names and police don’t seem interested.”

Police have said they are looking into the incident.

A spokesman said: “Shortly after 2.10pm on Saturday September 30, police were called to reports of a burglary at a garage on Higher Bridge Street in Bolton.

“Two men had driven to the garage in a white Ford Transit van before taking a set of keys from an office inside.

“The man who took the keys has then taken the car and driven off in an unknown direction.

“The other man fled the scene in the van he’d arrived in.

“Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances around this incident.

“Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 1235 of 30/09/17.”