POLICE have made a renewed appeal to find two men who stole the Mayor of Bury's chains in a violent robbery.

Officers have made the plea more than four months after Cllr Michelle Wiseman's chains were stolen, when her driver, Jet Vyas, was attacked and hit on the shoulder with a hammer by a man in a balaclava.

Mr Vyas is still off work recovering after the attack, which left him with a fractured shoulder.

There have been no arrests made since the incident, on October 30 last year, even after a £10,000 reward was offered, and police hope that Bury residents who may have information will now come forward.

The Mayor’s chain, known as the Bury chain, is worth £200,000, and it was given to the Mayor of Bury in 1877.

In addition, the Mayoress' chain, which was also stolen, is extremely rare and is just one of five ever made.

Shortly before the attack, which happened at about 10.15pm, in Stonemere Drive, Radcliffe, the Mayor had attended Radcliffe’s first ever festival of remembrance, held at the Radcliffe Civic Suite.

Detective Constable Martin Brown, of Bury police, said: "It has been four months since these chains, which are of enormous historical and monetary value, were stolen during a violent robbery during which the driver was attacked with a hammer.

"We are continuing to pursue a number of lines of inquiry, but as yet we have neither recovered the chains nor made any arrests so I am reappealing to the public of Bury to help us find those responsible.

"Although the scrap metal is dwarfed by the historical significance and heritage of these chains, the culprits will only profit from this theft by selling the chains on the black market or by melting them down so I would appeal to metal dealers, not just in Bury but throughout Manchester, to be vigilant and if you come into contact with anyone offering you these chains then please do the right thing and call us.

"We are also continuing to appeal for anyone who may have seen a green VW Polo in the area at the time of the offence to come forward with any information they have."

Cllr Wiseman has also made a plea for the recovery of the chains.

She said: "This was a terrible attack on my driver, who is still off work due to the severity of his injuries. We are also desperate to recover these ceremonial chains, which are an important part of the borough’s history.

"There is a reward of £10,000 for their return, and I would urge anyone who has information about this robbery to contact the police."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.