A cash machine gas blast gang could have got away with up to £50,000 - after they sent notes flying into the air ‘like the Crystal Maze’.

Families living near the petrol station where the machine was targeted - as well as the business’s stunned owner - believe the gang could have blown up the street during the ‘reckless’ early hours heist.

Four men are believed to have blasted the dispenser from the wall at the Gulf service station on Huddersfield Road, Stalybridge, at about 3.55am on Thursday.

David Hockenhull, 36, who has run the petrol station for four years, believes the thieves could have made off with as much as £50,000.

He told the M.E.N.: “The ATM flew through the air across the forecourt and nearly smashed into a pump.

“If that pillar wasn’t there it could have taken the pump out and caused a big explosion.

“It could have blown the whole place up and taken half the street with it.

“It’s just a really stupid thing to do, there are houses all around.”

Incredibly, the petrol station did not suffer major damage and the business owner was able to open to customers.

But he said he would lose commission on the stolen money and would have to foot the bill for a smashed window and damaged stanchion caused by the explosion.

Watch: The scene the morning after...

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Mr Hockenhull added: “It could be a lot worse but I am still devastated.”

Four men were seen leaving the scene in a BMW car.

And those living nearby say that they witnessed passers-by scooping money off the ground.

One woman who lives nearby witnesses passers by scooping money off the pavement for a long time after the blast.

She said: “The ones I saw were handing the cash over to police though.”

Local resident Thomas Procter, a 74-year-old retired soldier, described how he woke and rushed to the window after hearing the explosion.

He said: “It was a bloody loud bang.

“I saw some people chasing money around, grabbing it out of the air like the ending of the Crystal Maze.

“They were there scooping money up for three minutes or so then jumped in a car and sped off.

“There are houses with families and children just yards away so setting off a big explosion in a petrol station is just pure stupidity.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.

“Anyone with information should call 101.”