CCTV shows robbers shooting security guard as they raid bank in London

This is the moment a security guard is ambushed and shot by armed robbers at a bank in east London.

Police have just released a video which shows the victim writhing in agony on the floor after he was shot in the leg three times while his attackers ransack a cash machine he was refilling and make off with the money.

The guard was taken to hospital and was said to be struggling to come to terms with the psychological trauma of the incident. It happened at Nationwide on Walthamstow High Street at 3.25am on 18 May 2017.

Flying Squad detectives are hunting the two suspects caught on CCTV, who have been linked to four other robberies, three of them armed, in the capital during the twelve months from May 2016.

A £5,000 reward for information that helps to identify the suspects has been offered.

"An increasing amount of violence is being used during these offences," Detective Chief Inspector Nick Blackburn said.

"We need the public's help to identify the suspects, their firearms and the stolen cars they escaped in," he added.

In the Walthamstow robbery one of the suspects was armed with a silver self-loading pistol complete with a black silencer. The pair made their getaway in a stolen Ford Fiesta which has since been recovered.

They first struck in the early hours of 23 May 2016 at Cyprofood, a 24-hour cash and carry in Brantwood Road in Tottenham, north London. A member of staff was pistol-whipped by two men. They drove off in a silver Audi A4 with stolen number plates which has never been recovered.

The second offence was committed at a branch of Santander in Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate, east London, on 28 June 2016 when they ambushed two security guards who were refilling a cash machine. One of the suspects was armed with a revolver-style firearm.

Inside the bank, the suspects stole a quantity of cash and drove off in a silver VW Scirocco, which has not been located.

The third offence relates to an armed robbery at Santander on Mare Street, Hackney on 29 August 2016. The victims of the robbery, two security guards, were refilling a cash machine when they were ambushed by two men, who were described as being of large build.

One man had a silver self-loading pistol with a black silencer. The suspects took cash and drove off in a stolen Range Rover Sport which has since been recovered by police.

The fourth offence was committed at the same bank on 3 December 2016. Two suspects again attacked two security guards as they were delivering cash to the bank.

The robbers were thwarted however by the guards and a member of the public. The suspects escaped in a white 4x4 Mitsubishi Outlander. That vehicle has been recovered by police.

Detectives from the Flying Squad are now seeking any information about the identity of the people pictured in the CCTV footage.

Police would also like to speak to anyone with any information about the whereabouts of the firearms used in the offences or the missing stolen vehicles - a silver Audi A4 and a silver VW Scirocco.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Blackburn said: "In the latest offence, a guard was shot a number of times at close range. Fortunately, he has recovered from his physical injuries but has suffered a severe psychological impact from the incident."

Crimestoppers is offering a reward of £5,000 for any information given to the charity that leads to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the armed robberies