The Abbey in Lytham was targeted by two masked men who stole thousands of pounds from security staff.

Now, detectives are trying to find out why the same car – believed to be a Rover ZR – was parked at the rear of the Clifton Street bank on consecutive Tuesdays leading up to the September 30 raid.

Police believe the vehicle could have been used by the thieves "casing" the premises before the incident.

Det Con Simon Pritchard, of Blackpool CID, said: "We are trying to find out who the car belonged to as part of our inquiry.

"If it belongs to a member of the public and has been parked there for legitimate reasons then we can rule it out of our investigation.

"If anyone recognises the description of the vehicle or knows anything about it then we would appreciate them getting in touch.

"Things are progressing and we are currently looking at a number of different lines of inquiry.

"The public's help is invaluable in cases like this and so if anybody has any information they should contact police."

The car police want to know about was described as a sporty four-door saloon, possibly in midnight blue or black with a black spoiler.

It was parked on the public car park to the rear of the branch on South Westby Street.

Two men armed with an axe, baseball bat and hammer smashed their way into the branch while Group 4 Securicor guards were making a cash pick-up.

They then fled the scene in a car believed to have been driven by a woman. An empty cash box was later found on Grosvenor Street.

After an appeal in The Gazette, police located a black three series BMW outside St Bede's High School on Talbot Road.

Forensic tests were conducted on both the case and the car and detectives are waiting to see whether that line of inquiry will bear fruit.

Officers have also been in touch with colleagues in neighbouring cities Manchester and Liverpool to see if the description of the incident matches any they have seen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Blackpool Police on (01253) 293933.

Or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.