A gang of armed robbers posed as policemen and used prosthetic face masks to carry out Britain's biggest ever heist, a court heard today.

The men needed information about the Securitas cash depot from manager Colin Dixon in order to execute their £53m raid and, after taking him hostage, dressed as policemen to convince his wife he had been involved in an accident to persuade her to come with them.

They then forced Mr Dixon to talk at gunpoint about the depot in Tonbridge, Kent, before swooping to make the robbery.

Prosecutors at the Old Bailey alleged they used "facial prosthetics" — showbusiness-grade masks and false hair — so they would not be recognised in any e-fit after the crime.

Dressed entirely in black with only their eyes showing through slits in their balaclavas the gang descended on the Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent in the early hours of the morning in February last year, it was said.

Within two hours the masked men had transferred the bundles of money into a seven and a half ton Renault lorry. To make their work easier the men were armed with detailed information of the layout of the depot, allegedly supplied by one of the defendants who worked there, the jury was told.

It was a robbery, the court heard, motivated by greed and "the prospect of dishonest gain almost beyond the dreams of avarice". Only £21 million of the stolen money has been recovered. The depot was used by large retail outlets and banks, including the Bank of England, as a depository

Mr Dixon was on his way home from work when he was pulled over by what he thought were policemen, the jury heard.

His wife and young child were also visited by members of the gang, also posing as officers and wearing facial disguises. They told her that her husband had been injured and they would take her to the hospital, it was heard.

She roused her young child from his bed and rushed from the house. When they were both in the back of a car one of the 'policemen' pointed a gun at them both and took them to the farm, the jury was told.

Sir John Nutting, QC, for the prosecution, described the terror felt by the workers at the depot, none of whom received severe physical injury.

"But for many the mental scars and the psychological effects still persist, flashbacks, mood swings, fear of strangers and fear of the dark, so terrifying was their ordeal."

Mr Nutting also set out the motive for the crime. "Greed, pure and simple; the lure of large sums of cash which, divided up among the perpetrators, would have permitted them to enjoy, for some time at least if not for life, circumstances of luxury, ease and idleness.

"Before the robbery some of the defendants were certainly better off than others; but all, the Crown say, were motivated by the prospect of dishonest gain almost beyond the dreams of avarice."

Describing the kidnappings Mr Nutting told the jury that the final weapon that was "essential" to their plans was the services of someone with "training in the application of prosthetics".

He said: "Prosthetics is another word for disguise. As some of you may know it is possible with the skilful use of substances like latex, silicone and false hair to alter a person's appearance so effectively that not only does the person become unrecognisable but even close up the disguise is not apparent.

"Again I emphasise, if applied professionally, the disguise can alter not only a person's looks, but his face and whole facial appearance."

Mr Nutting told the jury that the main charges in the case — conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to kidnap — reflected the difficulties in identifying the suspects but stressed that the law would still find a way to punish those responsible.

"It would be absurd for the law to permit defendants such as these to say: 'We have made it impossible for anyone to identify us by face in the commission of our crimes so you cannot charge us as kidnappers or robbers. We should be allowed to profit from our cunning'.

"The law is not such an ass", he said.

Car dealer John Fowler, 58, of Elderden Farm, Chart Hill Road, Staplehurst, Kent; car salesman Stuart Royle, 48, of Allen Street, Maidstone, Kent; unemployed Jetmir Bucpapa, 26, of Tonbridge; roofer Lea Rusha, 35, of Southborough, Kent; hairdresser Michelle Louise Hogg, 32, of Woolwich, south-east London; garage owner Roger Coutts, 30, of Welling, south-east London; and Ermir Hysenaj, 27, a Post Office worker from Crowborough, East Sussex, deny conspiracy to rob.

They have also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to kidnap Securitas employee Colin Dixon, his wife and child, and conspiracy to possess firearms. Sign writer Keith Borer, 53, of Maidstone, Kent, denies handling stolen money.

Times Recommends

• How I lost the gift of joy for a while
• Why Ann Widdecombe has got it wrong
• Alas, it’s the end of the road for petrolheads