Gardai received reports that a house in the Kilmacthomas area was burgled at around 11.30am yesterday morning.

Witnesses observed two men leaving the scene at high speeds in a car. A patrol car from Tramore spotted the vehicle but it refused to stop and was followed towards Annestown. The driver of the car suddenly performed a u-turn and drove straight at the garda vehicle colliding head on with it. The two occupants of the car managed to escape and were pursued by uniformed gardai who were not badly injured in the crash.

The pair were later arrested in a tiny island just off the main coast.

Four firearms were also located and it is thought that they had been taken from the earlier robbery.

The two cars exploded and were both totally destroyed in the subsequent blaze.