The gang that raided a Securitas cash distribution depot in Tonbridge last Wednesday got away with more than £53 million cash - more than twice as much as in the Belfast Northern Bank raid in 2004.

Kent Police also announced five more arrests in connection with Britain's biggest cash robbery. The money itself - except for £1.3 million recovered on Friday - and the lorry used to transport it have not been found.

Two men were arrested in Tankerton, near Whitstable, Kent, yesterday when armed officers shot out the tyres of their BMW car.

Two other men arrested by armed police in Greenwich, South London, are also being questioned. A fifth man arrested yesterday has been released on police bail.

Kent Police said in a statement: "It was confirmed today by Securitas that the raiders escaped with £53,116,760 in cash, after kidnapping depot manager Colin Dixon and his family and tying up 14 staff at the depot."

The Kent force had earlier declined to confirm the Tankerton arrests or to give any other details about the investigation, saying that it was at a "sensitive stage".

The statement added that other searches, "some involving armed officers because of the dangerous nature of the gang", had been made at addresses in Kent and across the South East.

Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Leppard told reporters outside Kent Police headquarters in Maidstone: "We are gathering important evidence and following a number of significant lines of inquiry. I am pleased with progress and remain confident that we will catch those responsible."

Forensic experts continue to examine the vehicles and other items recovered from various locations in Kent.

These include the cages used for carrying cash, found in fields on Detling Hill, near Thurnham on Friday, and the contents of the white Ford Transit van found at the Ashford International Hotel the same day, including £1.3m in cash, plus balaclavas, guns and flak jackets.

Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland who investigated the Northern Bank robbery in December 2004 - which was at that point Britain's biggest cash robbery - have been helping the Tonbridge inquiry.

Mr Leppard renewed his appeal for help in finding the white Renault Midlum lorry used in the raid and possibly also to dump the cash cages. He said: "Where is this lorry now? Is there an unfamiliar vehicle parked or possibly abandoned near you. Please keep a look-out for it, as we are very keen to find the lorry.

"Don’t forget, there is a reward of up to £2m offered by Securitas and its insurers for information leading to the recovery of the stolen money and the arrest and conviction of those involved in the robbery."

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