ENNISCORTHY GARDAI were lucky to escape with their lives early on Friday morning when a gunshot was fired at their patrol car as they interrupted a bank robbery.

The unarmed uniformed gardai were alerted to the break-in to Ulster Bank on Rafter Street at about 3.30 a.m after getting reports of a loud bang in the area.

Upon arriving at the scene, the male and female officers came across a three-man gang leaving the bank, and at least one shot from a sawn-off shotgun was fired at their marked patrol car.

Thankfully, they were left uninjured although there was damage caused to the vehicle’s windscreen.

It is understood that this was not a “warning shot” and the gang intended to kill, with sources saying it is “a miracle” that the gardai escaped harm.

The raiders used an explosive device to blow up the ATM before entering the bank by smashing its front door, in what is the first raid of its type in Ireland.

Gardai believe that the gang pumped gas into the bank link dispenser and ignited it, with the explosion ripping the machine apart and allowing the gang to get inside the bank.

This type of break-in has only previously been seen by detectives in Holland and England.

It is understood that, once inside, the criminals gained access to a safe at the back of the ATM.

However, sources say that the raiders most likely thought they had two-three minutes to carry out the robbery, but gardai were on the scene 40 seconds after they heard the blast.

The quick arrival of the gardai caused the thieves to abandon the raid, and they left behind a large sum of money which was found inside the bank, as well as a large sum which was discarded by the men outside when they were confronted by gardai.