POLICE are appealing for witnesses after two security guards claimed they had foiled an attempted robbery as they filled a cash machine with money.
The Group 4 security guards had parked up outside the cash machine in Whalley Road, Accrington, at 1.30pm last Thursday.
One guard went inside the empty shop to gain access to the cash machine while the other stayed inside the van.
The guard inside the building spotted two men standing next to the van and he later told police one was wearing a balaclava and the second a hooded top.
He alerted his colleague and they both stayed put until the two suspicious characters left on foot down Orange Street.
It has been alleged that one of the suspected offenders was wielding a machete.
Officers cordoned off the area while crime scene investigators searched the area and made house-to-house inquiries.
Witnesses are now being sought as police are still unsure if the two men had botched up a robbery or were simply innocent bystanders.
Detective Sergeant Paul Rudd from Accrington CID said: "We are treating this incident as suspicious and we are appealing for witnesses to come forward as soon as possible.
"We are not sure if this was an attempted robbery because the security guard’s view was slightly obscured and we can’t be certain that one of the men was in possession of a machete.
"Nothing was said to either of the guards to indicate that a robbery was about to take place so we are not jumping to any conclusions at this stage."
Anyone with details about the incident should contact Sergeant Rudd on 353743.
