A MILLIONAIRE businessman is offering a £250,000 reward to help catch an armed gang, who poured bleach over him before stealing gold bars.

Jason Cropper, who founded the e-cigarette business Totally Wicked, is determined to track down the crooks – and believes some of them could be from St Helens and Haydock.

Four thugs broke into the 48-year-old’s home in the Lancashire village of Samlesbury last August.

He was tied up by the gang, who were armed with crowbars.

The incident left him with head injuries and he could not walk properly for a week after being hit.

Mr Cropper, who has taken out advertising in the St Helens Star displaying the reward, believes the group thought he had £4m of gold in his house.

After dousing him with bleach and covering his head with a towel, the attackers made off with his Range Rover.

They also stole two gold bars worth £50,000, plus three watches and £70,000 in cash.

Now after almost six months without a breakthrough in the investigation, Mr Cropper is offering the £250,000 reward.

A police investigation is continuing, but he has also hired a private investigator.

“To me, the money is irrelevant,” he told a national newspaper. “It is nice to have, but is not particularly important. What is important is that the people are caught.”

Mr Cropper founded the e-cig company Totally Wicked in Blackburn, Lancashire, in 2008, and stood down as chief executive last June.

The company is a stand sponsor of St Helens Rugby League Club.