Two prisoners 'escape after Greater Manchester Police van taking them to court is attacked' Attack on van happened just after at 9am in Salford, Greater Manchester Eyewitnesses saw car drive across road before smashing into side of van Ryan McDonald, 20, and Stevie McMullen, 31, escaped in quick getaway In January, McDonald was found in a stolen Volkswagen Polo following a gangland shooting which left a 20-year old man injured Rush-hour raid took place in same area as attack in 2011 on a prison van Prison Service source: One escapee probably had smuggled mobile phone Two prisoners were today on the run after escaping from custody when a prison van was attacked. At least three men in balaclavas ambushed the van just after 9am and witnesses saw them running away from the vehicle on Regent Road in Salford, Greater Manchester, with its windows smashed. One man was then seen without a helmet on the back of a motorbike as it left the scene at high speed - and five men were spotted running to a nearby parked car before driving off. Ryan McDonald, 20, and Stevie McMullen, 31, both on robbery charges, escaped from the vehicle as they travelled to court after it was broken into by a gang wielding a sawn-off shotgun. Robbery charges: Stevie McMullen (left), 31, and Ryan McDonald (right), 20, escaped from the vehicle after it was broken into with a sawn-off shotgun and police admitted both men 'represent a risk to the community' Investigation: The GEOAmey prison van was on Regent Road with its side door open and glass all over the road Flexing muscles: A Facebook picture of 20-year-old Ryan McDonald, of Salford, taken from an open profile Police have warned they are 'a risk to the community' and were dubbed the 'most wanted men in Britain' as a major manhunt got underway. McDonald was due to be sentenced for conspiracy to commit robbery, and McMullen was on trial having been charged with conspiracy to kidnap, rob, commit arson and possess a firearm. McDonald, from Salford, was charged in January after a stolen Volkswagen Polo he was in was chased and cornered by police following a gangland shooting which left a 20-year old man injured. On his Facebook page McDonald appeared to have posted pictures of himself larking about with other inmates at Hindley Young Offender Institution and flexing his muscles for the cameras. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a green car drive across the carriageway of the road before smashing into the side of the white van, before a group of men ran into the nearby Ordsall estate. One said: "I crossed the road and saw a dark green car with three men in it. They had balaclavas on. I thought it was a bit strange and walked past and kept looking back to see what the car was doing. Looking: A police officer stands guard at the crime scene where two men escaped from a prison van in Salford Probe: A forensic officer retrieves evidence at the crime scene where two men escaped from a prison van I then saw it pull across the road straight into the side of the transit van and (the men) smashed the windscreens. I kept walking and called the police and I could hear the smashing of screens. I looked back because I'd heard some more shouts and there were some men running towards me so I just sprinted as fast I could into the estate. I was pretty scared, to be honest. A man and a woman are in custody after being arrested on the Ordsall Estate, where the Saab car used to take the men from the scene was later abandoned, police said. One eyewitness described how the GEOAmey prison van was on the Manchester-bound carriageway of Regent Road, with its side door open and glass all over the road. About 150 yards further along the road, on the opposite carriageway, a dark-green Saab had been abandoned in the road, surrounded by a police van and a police car. Both the prison van and the Saab were cordoned off by police tape while officers searched the area for clues. A police helicopter called India 99 could be seen hovering overhead. Looking for clues: A forensic police officer takes photographs at the crime scene where two men escaped Abandoned: Police were searching the SAAB car believed to have been used during the attack in Salford There was a huge police presence in the area around Salford, including police dogs, as the hunt continued for the men who it is believed have been sprung from the van. A Prison Service source suggested the ambush would probably involve one of the escapees having access to a smuggled mobile phone - of high value inside jail with inmates banned from having them. A phone call could then be made or a text sent to let the armed gang know which prison van they were in and so which vehicle to target, among the many vans making their way from jail to court. The ambushed van which has CCTV was operated by prisoner escort firm GEOAmey and was on its way to a court from privately-run HMP Altcourse. Altcourse is run by G4S, the firm behind the Olympics security fiasco, and was the first designed, constructed, managed and financed private prison in the UK. The Category B jail takes young offenders and adult male prisoners either sentenced or on remand from courts in Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales and can hold up to 1,324 prisoners. Response: Two inmates escaped after a prison van was attacked on a road in Salford, Greater Manchester Location: The street is a main road into Manchester is around half a mile from the city's crown court GEOAmey runs around 12,500 prisoner movements a week in its fleet of around 500 purpose-built custodial vehicles, which come in different sizes with either two, four, six and 10 cells. There were some men running towards me so I just sprinted as fast I could. I was pretty scared Eyewitness The public were advised not to approach either man and if they are seen to call police immediately. Greater Manchester Police Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan said: 'Two people are now unlawfully at large as a result of this morning's incident and it is our priority to find them as well as identify those responsible for the break out. The public should not approach either man and if anyone knows where they are or saw these men escaping I would urge them to contact police immediately. Attack: Shortly after 9am, police were called to Regent Road (file picture) in Salford, Greater Manchester Two years ago: The rush-hour raid took place just off the same stretch of road as a similar attack on a prison van in July 2011, which saw Liverpool gangsters Tony Downes (left) and Kirk Bradley (right) escape There are a number of police scenes across the area and there will be a heavy and visible police presence in the coming hours and days but the public should be reassured rather than alarmed by this. There is no hiding place and we will find you Kevin Mulligan, GMP Chief Supt We have specialist teams now dedicated to investigating the incident and finding all involved and I would like to send a message to those people that there is no hiding place and we will find you. A third person in the van carried on to court. 'It's very concerning, obviously,' Chief Supt Mulligan told reporters. 'We have got a major investigation in place, we've got increased police presence in the area and a major investigation is ongoing to recover these people back into custody and also find those responsible for the offences.' The street is a main road into Manchester and around half a mile from the city's crown court. The rush-hour raid was also just off the same stretch of road as a similar attack on a prison van. Liverpool gangsters Tony Downes and Kirk Bradley escaped in the ambush in July 2011 as they were being taken from Strangeways jail to their trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Greater Manchester Police asks anyone with information to call the force on 101