Terrified security guards were confronted by an armed raider who escaped with a cash box stuffed with money.

The robber brandished a gun at the Securicor staff who were delivering money to cash machines yesterday at the Tesco store in Prince Avenue, Westcliff.

The guards got out of their van to fill up the machines when the raider grabbed one of them carrying the container and pointed a small black handgun at him.

He shouted at the guard to let go of the cashbox, which he handed over.

As dozens of horrified shoppers looked on, the robber then ran off and was last seen in the area east of the supermarket, near Purley Way and Denton Avenue, at about 11.45am yesterday.

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