TWO armed masked men carried out a Derby Day raid on a Bolton betting office, escaping with £4,500 in cash.

The raiders, carrying a pistol and a machete, burst into Holdings Bookies on Bury Road, Breightmet, at 6.10pm on Saturday.

They threatened the two female members of staff in the shop, forcing them to hand over the cash from the till and safe.

Two male customers were in the shop at the time of the robbery.

One, aged 54, told the Bolton Evening News: "It was terrifying. I'm still badly shaken. I couldn't sleep at night thinking about it." He tried to run after the pair, but they disappeared quickly after leaving the shop.

Both men are white. They wore black baseball caps and bandanas or scarves wrapped over the faces, so just their eyes were showing. One of the men was wearing a black zip up shell suit with black track suit bottoms with stripes.

He was wearing black trainers and was aged about 25 to 30 years.

He was 5ft 10in and very thin.

Police are appealing for anyone with information about the robbery to contact Astley Bridge CID on 0161 872 5050 or Crimestoppers 0800 555111.

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