A reward of up to £5,000 is being offered to try and catch "particularly violent" armed robbers after a brave Bradford shopkeeper had his thumb severed.

Tasawar Iqbal, 39, needed emergency surgery to reattach the thumb after it was severed with a machete.

Mr Iqbal bravely defended his business when five men stormed into Wibsey Convenience Store, armed with the machete and a gun.

During a violent struggle, part of his thumb was severed with the machete, and he lost around two pints of blood from a wound to the back of his head. The robbers also pointed the gun at a female member of staff.

But Mr Iqbal still managed to activate a panic alarm and even chased the gang out of the store.

They fled on foot down Wibsey Park Avenue towards Farfield Avenue after the raid on Wednesday, May 21 this year.

Mr Iqbal had his thumb successfully re-attached by top consultant plastic surgeon Ajay Mahajan in a complex eight-hour operation which involved rejoining arteries and veins just millimetres in diameter.

Mr Mahajan said it was more difficult to re-attach a thumb than a finger.

He said: "The machete blow had severed his entire thumb. He had caught the full force of the blade which then went down to the wrist, inside the heel and taking the thumb completely."

Despite police investigations the culprits have not been traced.

The four suspects were all Asian men, in their mid to late teens, skinny and about 6ft tall. They were wearing dark tops with the hoods up and dark tracksuit bottoms. Two are believed to have had their faces covered.

Now the crimefighting charity Crimestoppers is offering a £5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robbers.

Gemma Wilson, Crimestoppers’ Yorkshire Regional Manager, said: “This attack was particularly violent which is why the culprits must be caught. I urge anyone with information to contact us immediately, without the fear of their identity being revealed. No-one who provides information to Crimestoppers need ever be concerned about giving statements to police or having to go to court.”

Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.