ARMED men who robbed security staff then led police on an 80-mile chase before crashing in York have been told they will receive lengthy prison sentences.

The gang, two of whom were said to be carrying axes, struck at 3pm on July 14, as two Securicor workers were filling a cash machine at a Tesco in Consett, County Durham.

They fled with £115,000 in a Honda Civic, which was then found burned out nearby. They continued to York in a BMW 530 Sport Estate, chased by police in cars, vans and a helicopter, before eventually being caught when they crashed into bollards in Malton Way, Rawcliffe.

Andrew Mark Nye, 29, of no fixed address; Jamie Paul Harry Emmett, 34, of Coronation Parade; Ben Dyer, 18, of Wyebeck Avenue; and Anthony Hughes, 28, of Coronation Parade, all of Leeds, appeared at Durham Crown Court yesterday.

Each admitted robbery, while getaway driver Nye also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in the subsequent chase.

All four denied possessing an offensive weapon, and arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Their barristers said the guilty pleas were on the basis they accepted the full prosecution account of the incident, and possession of the axes and the burning out of the car were “aggravating features”.

Paul Lee, prosecuting, said the Crown may accept the pleas tendered and not pursue the charges denied by the defendants.

Judge Christopher Prince said, given the circumstances, the quartet were “eminently sensible” to have admitted the robbery and would receive discount on sentence.

He adjourned sentence pending preparation of reports by the Probation Service. But he told them: “You will get one third off your sentences for your early guilty pleas.

“What those sentences will be will be calculated when you come back, but it will be a period of years. I just don’t know how many just yet.”

He remanded them in custody to be sentenced on September 16.