Thieves pull off £200m London jewellery heist

The Hatton Garden Safe Deposit centre was broken into, with over £200m of jewels stolen. Photo / AP

Dramatic images showing the men behind a multimillion-dollar jewellery heist have been uncovered by a British newspaper.

The thieves - nicknamed Mr Ginger, Mr Strong and The Gent in homage to gangster movie Reservoir Dogs - made off with gems in wheelie bins after the raid in London's most exclusive diamond district. Six men in total were involved in the plot, which went undetected during Easter Weekend - despite police being aware that an alarm had sounded at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit company.

The Mirror has published CCTV footage of the team at work, giving hope the men may be found despite fears they have fled overseas.

The gang smashed open about 70 safety deposit boxes before escaping with jewels jhas been reported to be worth more than £200million.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Johnson of the Metropolitan police Flying Squad speaks to media outside the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit. Photo / AP

In two separate visits, the masked men worked through the night to drill into the underground vault after arriving on Good Friday. They disappeared on Easter Sunday.

A source told the newspaper: "This was clearly the work of a professional gang who planned this job down to every last detail."

The footage begins at 9.23pm - four minutes after centre staff lock up for the Easter Weekend - as the first thief appears on camera carrying a black bin bag.

The thieves are nicknamed Mr Ginger, Mr Strong and The Gent in homage to gangster movie Reservoir Dogs.

Over the following nights, six raiders are seen lugging heavy-duty tools, including bolt cutters and a monkey wrench, to the vault. Each man is wearing builder's overalls and a high-visibility vest. At least one has a balaclava over his face, while others wear dust masks - but each one is partially recognisable. The last trace of the raiders is recorded at 6.44am on Easter Sunday, when the men load a van with all remaining gear and disappear.

The footage came to light as Scotland Yard was forced to admit it did not respond to an alarm triggered during the raid - which could make it liable for millions in compensation.