A WOMAN was arrested by detectives investigating Monday's Newport bank robbery.

Police confirmed this morning a woman in her twenties was arrested at a house in Hillview Crescent in the Pontfaen area of the city last night.

She was being questioned today by detectives at Newport Central police station on suspicion of handling stolen goods in connection with the armed robbery in the city centre when a security guard was shot.

Today, the house in Hillview Crescent was cordoned off as forensic officers searched for evidence at the property.

The hunt is on for four men, three believed to be black and one white, who eft the Halifax bank in Commercial Street at around 10.45 am in a black or blue Mitsubishi car with a substantial amount of money in security boxes after the Securicor guard was shot in the leg.

One man in Pontfaen, who did not want to be named, said he witnessed two cars, driven by two men, leave the house at around 9.40am on Monday.

"About an hour or so later one of the cars came back and the man covered it up with a sheet," he said

"He waited in the house, then about 20 minutes later a taxi came. The man jumped in and was gone."

Residents in Hillview Crescent said a car was taken away by police last night.

Sources told the Argus a man had also been led away. Detective Superintendent Geoff Ronayne, the officer leading the investigation, said: "We are conducting house-to-house inquiries and are asking anyone who saw anything in Hillview Crescent, Mulcaster Avenue, Nash Road or Fosse Road between 9am and 5pm on Monday to come forward with information.

"We are currently contacting taxi companies and are interested in anyone who made pick-ups over the period from the weekend up until today." Terrified shoppers and young children were forced to flee in horror as a shot rang out inside the Halifax bank.

People dived out of the path of the car as it screeched away from the robbery, which was over in about three minutes.

It drove down Skinner Street before making its way to the Old Green roundabout at Newport Castle.

Police said the 55-year-old security man, described as a family man, was lucky to be alive.