Police from two counties were involved in a high-speed chase after ram-raiders struck at a petrol station in Crosshills early yesterday morning.

Four men were spotted by a police patrol car as they were robbing Snax 24 in Station Road.

The men escaped in a black Ford Mondeo which was pursued along the A650 through Keighley by the North Yorkshire officers as far as Bingley, where officers from West Yorkshire took over.

The car was spotted again as it raced through Shipley but then managed to evade police.

The vehicle, which had been stolen in Thornton early on Saturday, was later found burned out in Binbrook View, Allerton. Two youths were spotted running away from the scene.

The thieves stole about £2,000 worth of cigarettes and spirits from the garage after reversing the Mondeo into double doors.

Joyce Crawford, who runs Snax 24, said she would have to carry out a stock take to determine how much had been stolen in the raid.

"I got a call from the alarm company but until I got down here I didn't know what had happened," said Mrs Crawford. "The police had cordoned off the forecourt to gather evidence.

"I was shocked by the fact that they'd got in with the car. There is a lot of damage and it's going to cost a lot of money. We've been broken into before but not like this. So today it's just business as normal, if you can call it that."

Police are now examining CCTV footage of the raid to try and identify the ram-raid gang members.

They are also trying to trace the movements of the car, registration J100 HEY, since it was stolen.

"We're appealing for any witnesses who saw the vehicle or know where it was sited on Saturday," said a police spokesman.