Two metal thieves have been jailed for a raid on a Black Country foundry in which a security guard was attacked and subjected to a terrifying ordeal by masked intruders.

John Newbery, aged 27, and Daniel Hwyl, 26, were part of a four-man gang who broke into Sigmacast in Tipton to steal the metal which at the time was selling for £12,000 a ton.

The men pounced on lone security guard Neil Chatterton as he did his rounds of the eight acre site in July, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard. The 60-year-old was pinned on the ground while his wallet and mobile phone were taken and he was threatened with a crowbar.

When his supervisor rang, the frightened guard was ordered to take the call and warned he would be “battered” if he gave the game away, said Mark Phillips, prosecuting.

Three of the men, including Newbery and Hwyl, searched the premises, returning with a lump of metal, while the fourth raider stood watch over Mr Chatterton. They forced him to leave the premises with them, returning his wallet before fleeing in a Land Rover.

The court heard that the gang’s haul turned out to be worth just £100 as the foundry, which was closed for two weeks at the time, had removed any valuables from its Upper Church Road base during the shutdown.

Mohammed Riaz, defending Newbury, said the father-of-two had been in financial difficulties when he was offered £200 for the use of his van but he claimed he did not know in advance the nature of the trip.

It was accepted that neither man had carried a weapon nor taken part in any violence. The pair, both from West Bromwich, pleaded guilty to robbery.

Drug addict Hwyl, of Green Street, who has a string of offences to his name, was sent to prison for three and a half years, while Newbury, of Haywoods Farm, was jailed for three years. Judge John Warner said: “This was obviously a terrifying episode for the security guard.”