A SECURITY guard and three other members of staff are recovering after being held hostage at a publishing office by hooded raiders who stole computers worth about £60,000.

The gang of four men stole 30 G4 Apple Mac computers from Nexus Media in Azalea Drive, Swanley. They forced open a window and tied up the members of staff before ransacking the office and making off with their haul.

The victims managed to struggle free once the gang had escaped. No-one was injured in the 30-minute ordeal but the security guard suffered a cut knee. The raiders are believed to have loaded the computer equipment into a white van before making off. Detectives are now analying footage taken from cameras positioned inside the building and elsewhere in the town.

They have also revealed they are probing possible links to a similar theft at the same office in July last year. On that occasion, robbers brandishing guns and hammers tied two workers together and stole computer equipment valued at around £50,000. Det Insp Ajoy Gosain, who is heading the latest investigation, said: "It was a particularly frightening experience for staff going about their day-to-day business."

Mr Gosain revealed that Nexus bosses hope to offer a reward for the safe return of the computers which, he said, were easily recognisable as they had been decorated with colourful panels. George Birleson of Nexus, said the firm was planning to order fresh supplies of computers to finish work on a number of magazine titles before Christmas.

Anyone with information on the raid is asked to telephone DI Gosain on 01322 283111 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.