A STOLEN get-away car used in the violent robbery of  a family was dumped and set alight in Rowley Regis.

Masked, armed raiders used the Volvo V40 to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery from van which they had stolen from the driveway of a Smethwick house.

They ambushed a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old nephew as they pulled onto their driveway and beat them with crow bars.

The victims, who were seriously injured, were also sprayed with pepper spray and threatened by one of the robbers who was armed with a double barrelled shotgun to hand over the van keys.

The robbers drove off with the van laden with gold jewellery and cash and emptied the contents into the red Volvo in Heathfield Close, West Bromwich.

Police said the Volvo, which had been stolen in a burglary in Warwickshire, was found burnt out on a car park in Severn Rise.

The robbery happened on Saturday January 11, but police have only just released details and are appealing for witnesses.

They want to hear from anyone who saw any part of the robbery, although they are not naming the small residential street where the victims were attacked for fear of identifying them.

Lisa Shepherd, from Sandwell’s acquisitive crime team, said: "This was a truly horrifying ordeal that left two people with serious injuries.

"I believe that this was a planned and well thought out attack and we are appealing for anyone who saw the Volvo before or after the robbery to come forward.

“The thieves were masked up but one image from the CCTV clearly shows a suspect’s face and we would really like to hear from anyone who recognises this man.”

She and the team can be contacted on 101 or information can be left anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.