A BANK has been robbed by a masked man armed with a knife.

A reward of £25,000 has been offered following the raid at Lloyds Bank, Town Square, Basildon.

Members of the public were heard screaming as the man pulled a knife and demanded money before fleeing with what has been described as “a wad of cash”.

The branch was closed for the day and a notice about the reward posted on the door.

A market trader, who called the police, said: “I was setting up my stall and suddenly heard screams, a woman was screaming that the bank was being robbed.

“Someone shouted to me to tell the police, so I called quickly.”

 

He told the Echo a shopper chased after the armed robber following the raid but the knifeman got away.

He added: “I heard it was cash taken, I think it’s crazy, you don’t expect this to happen in these days.”

An eyewitness who works nearby added: “We heard screams and saw a lot of people gathering outside the bank.

“We’ve had a few customers come in telling us about what happened.

“It’s all very scary.”

Detectives are appealing for help to find the bank robber.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “A man armed with a knife entered the bank and threatened a member of staff.

“He then ran from the scene in the direction of Basildon train station. No one was hurt but staff were left shaken by the incident.

 

“The man is described as being white, between 5ft 9ins and 5ft 11ins tall, of a slim build and aged in his late 20s to early 30s.

“He wore grey hooded top, grey tracksuit bottoms that were tucked into football socks and black trainers.” A spokesman for the bank said: “We are aware of an incident at the Lloyds Bank Town Square branch in Basildon. We are supporting our colleagues and assisting police with their investigations.”

Anyone with information call Basildon CID on 101 quoting incident 200 of 03/01.