A £50,000 reward has been offered to catch a gang of armed robbers who abducted a bank manager and his family in Leigh.

NatWest has put up the money in the hope that it will encourage people to come forward with information leading to the conviction of the three raiders.

The family's terrifying ordeal began last Tuesday night when two armed men took John Diggle, aged 45, his wife Lynne, aged 44, and their two daughters, Joanne, aged 14, and Nicola, 12, from their home in Leigh.

They forced the bank manager at gunpoint to drive the family car, a Fiat Brava, to an unknown location, then ordered them into a silver Renault Megane Scenic with the false registration plate P351 BGW. The four were then driven for approximately 30 minutes to a warehouse-style building where they were kept in the van overnight.

At around 7.30 the next morning, the gang took Mr Diggle to the NatWest bank on Bury New Road in Whitefield. His wife and two daughters were taken to Ringley Old Brow in the Stoneclough area, where they were tied to a lamppost.

They managed to escape shortly after 9.30am and ran to a nearby house.

While Mr Diggle was at the bank, four employees arrived for work and all five were locked inside the bank's vault while the gang escaped with a substantial amount of cash.

The Renault Megane Scenic was found burnt out at approximately 9.30am behind the Esso Services on Manchester Road in Kearsley.

The vehicle had been reported stolen from the Preston area in July with the registration number T161 PBA.

It is believed there were three offenders who communicated with each other through hand-held radios. Two of the men wore beards which are believed to be false and a suit, shirt and tie.

Superintendent Peter Scofield, from Bury Police, said: "Mr Diggle and his family feared for their lives throughout this frightening experience and have been left extremely traumatised.

"We are still interested in speaking to anyone who may have seen the silver Renault Megane Scenic between July and last Wednesday, particularly in the area where it was found burnt out.

"We urgently need to speak to anyone who may have seen the men, particularly at the area where the family were forced into the van and the place where the woman and her two daughters were tied to the lamppost."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 8243 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.