A gang of three men has been been jailed for a total of almost 20 years after a hold-up at an estate agency in which an imitation firearm and wrench were brandished.

Last July, two masked men, Jonathan Hogan and John Grimshaw, burst into a branch of Pearson Ferrier in Bury, Greater Manchester, subjecting staff to a terrifying ten-minute ordeal.

Grimshaw, 24, hit property manager Nicholas Maitland in the face with the gun, demanding that he open the safe.

Grimshaw, who the court heard seemed to know where the safe was, said: “I know you get your takings in on Thursdays. Tell me where the money is or I will start pumping the ceiling full of bullets.”

Other staff were corralled into another part of the office.

The pair then escaped with £5,340 in a waiting Mazda. The get-away driver was Daniel Ogden, 38.

Just hours later, Hogan, Grimshaw and a 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were caught on CCTV during a shopping spree at the Trafford Centre.

However, the Mazda’s registration number had been noted by a neighbour and passed to police.

At Bolton Crown Court, Judge Timothy Clayson described Grimshaw, who had admitted robbery, as a violent man posing a significant threat to the public.

Hogan, who was found guilty of robbery after a trial, was jailed for seven years. He also received another eight months for an earlier separate case in which he admitted hitting a man with a metal torch in May 2013, putting him in hospital with two head wounds.

Getaway driver Ogden, who was also found guilty of conspiracy to rob after a trial, was jailed for five-a-and-half years.

The girl, who admitted perverting the course of justice and converting the proceeds of crime, was given a 12-month youth rehabilitation order.

Judge Clayson said: “This was a terrifying incident for the staff. One man is still having dental problems.”

After the case, Detective Constable Dave Potter said: “The staff members involved were terrified at the sight of the two men bursting into their office holding a pistol and heavy wrench.

“They did not know whether they would come to any harm, and despite doing as asked, one of the workers was hit in the face.”

The estate agency is owned and run by Julian Ferrier and Mitchell Pearson, with five branches including a Fine & Country brand.