SIX men in their 30s were arrested this morning as part of a joint investigation by Merseyside and Cheshire Police into bank robberies across the region including in Stockton Heath.

Two men from prisons in the region have also been produced to be interviewed under caution about the robberies.

Thousands of pounds in cash, a Subaru Impreza and a CS gas canister have also been seized during searches of properties.

The men were all arrested in south Liverpool by officers.

Officers executed search warrants at properties in Dingle, Toxteth, Aigburth and Garston simultaneously at 7am.

The arrests are the culmination of a year-long joint investigation by detectives from Merseyside and Cheshire following 22 robberies against banks and building societies dating back to 2008 in which a total of £1.5m was stolen.

This includes a raid on the Natwest bank in Stockton Heath on June 11, 2012.

Thousands of pounds of cash were stolen when two masked men forced their way into the bank at 5pm – threatening staff with a sledgehammer.

There were no customers in the building as staff were locking up the bank at the time of the break-in.

Police allege they then drove off from the bank in a stolen car.

Detectives from Merseyside and Cheshire have worked side by side in investigating the robberies, which are believed to be orchestrated by an organised crime group.

Detective Inspector Mike Dalton from Sefton CID said: “This has been a protracted and complex investigation involving a lot of hard work from detectives and uniform officers in Merseyside and Cheshire Police.

"The crimes have affected communities in many parts of Merseyside and Cheshire and have left innocent members of staff working in the banks and post offices deeply affected. More than a million pounds has been stolen and substantial damage caused to many premises.

“Business robberies are not victim-less crimes and Merseyside Police takes robberies extremely seriously. The criminals responsible for this type of acquisitive crime care little for the local people they harm or traumatise, whether that is the staff simply doing their job or customers who inadvertently get caught up in the incident.

“Today’s arrests have only been made possible by the strenuous efforts by investigation teams in two neighbouring forces and with assistance from the banking sector and every person arrested this morning will now be interviewed about the offences we suspect them of.”

DS Rob Grantham, who led the investigation team for Cheshire Constabulary, said: “This is a great example of collaboration targeting serious cross border crime.

"The strike phase today is the result of a 12 month joint operation between Cheshire Constabulary and Merseyside Police focusing on a number of individuals suspected of being involved in robbery. Around 20 officers from Cheshire accompanied colleagues from Merseyside on the early morning raids and they are now assisting in the search and interview phases.

"We hope that the action taken today sends out a strong message that robbery is a crime that we take extremely seriously - we devote all the resources we can to tackling the issue. It is also not a victimless crime and the impact can be devastating and far reaching.”