Police were today hunting three men who staged an armed robbery on a busy betting shop in broad daylight.

The masked trio, brandishing a knife and a gun between them, stormed into the Coral bookmakers (right) on Sticker Lane, Bradford, at 4pm on Saturday afternoon, when the shop was busy with weekend punters.

Police confirmed that the robbers did escape with a quantity of cash, though it is not yet known how much.

The three men fled the scene of the incident to where a getaway car was waiting nearby.

Nobody was hurt in the raid and yesterday afternoon the bookmakers was open for business as usual. Staff at the branch, which is located on a busy parade of shops, said they were unable to talk about the incident.

Det Con Ken Robinson, of Bradford South CID, said: “The three men entered the premises. There were members of the public inside at the time. The men made threats to staff and an amount of money was handed over.”

The getaway vehicle was parked in a side road next to the bookmakers.

One regular customer, who did not want to be identified, was back in the bookmakers yesterday. He said he had been in the shop just minutes before the raid took place.

He added: “I couldn’t believe it when my sister rang me and told me what had happened.”

Police have launched an appeal for witnesses or for anyone who knows anything about the raid. Bradford South CID can be contacted on 01274 376575.

Earlier this year a gang of three robbers who used axes and masks during a terrifying spree of robberies on Coral bookmakers were jailed for 24 years.

Gavin Hannam, 23, and Shelton Dugher, 24 were involved in five raids last November and December, two of which saw them wearing balaclavas and brandishing axes and being joined by Craig Somers, 35.

Leeds Crown Court heard in April that during both armed robberies – at Coral betting shops in Greengates, Bradford and in Yeadon on December 4 and 5 respectively – gang members had threatened pregnant members of staff.