THREE armed robbers who targeted a bank in Atherton have been jailed.

Dean Brown, aged 26, of no fixed abode, Leyton Dewitt, aged 23, also of no fixed abode and William Garry, aged 34, of Chaucer Grove in Atherton, pleaded guilty to robbery, burglary and aggravated vehicle taking at an earlier hearing.

Brown was jailed for eight years six months, Dewitt for eight years four months and Garry for eight years four months at Liverpool Crown Court.

The court heard how the robbers turned up at the Natwest Bank in Market Street in a silver Mazda when a security guard was picking up cash on June 9 at 3.20pm.

Dewitt, who was carrying a screwdriver and Garry who was carrying a hammer, threatened the security guard and made off with bags containing £4,560.

They drove off at speed and were chased by police, but they collided with another car and their vehicle ended up on its roof. Police chased the men and all three were arrested.

During the chase, the armed robbers collided with Marie Brides, who was driving home from work along Leigh Road.

The 56-year-old said: "I was driving my car and they just crashed into me. Usually you see the sirens and pull over, but I just didn’t see anything and before I knew it I had been crashed into.

"I didn't know what they had done at the time, so I was more annoyed about the damage to my car and I got out to see the damage and grabbed one of them as I got out and said 'look what you have done to my car' and he just shoved me out of the way and ran off.

"It could have been a lot worse because it was at school time so it could have been a child they had run into.

"They just have no consideration for anyone but themselves. I haven’t slept since. It was scary for my family because they saw it on the news and thought that it was my car that had flipped over.

"I just want to thank a nurse that was on the scene at the time and all the fire crew from Atherton."

Speaking about the sentencing, Mrs Brides said: "They deserve the sentence they have got. They did all that for nothing."

Before the bank robbery the trio also burgled a house in Cross Street in Atherton where a safe worth £250 was stolen.

The safe belonged to Edward Orrell, aged 46, who was in his house when he saw three men in balaclavas at his door.

He said: "I was in the house when I heard them so I went to the front door and I could see them.

"There was one at the front door and two at the back.

"I'm classed as disabled so I can't really run very quickly but I knew I needed to get out, so I thought I would rather take on one than two. So I opened the front door and the man tried to grab me so I just pushed my way out.

"The safe they took had my medication in but I got quite a big pay-out for an accident I was in and I think they knew that and came for the money.

"It was only after that I realised they had raided the bank."

Detective Sergeant Paul Rollinson said: “They did not care what effect their actions had on their victim, who was left terrified by her ordeal. Thankfully, as soon as we received the call, the description of the car was radioed through to officers who recognised it.

"They then made swift arrests and the trio are now paying for their crime.”