POLICE will today investigate claims motorcyclists waved a gun at a Merseyside businessman as he drove along a coastal road.

It is thought criminals are trying to extort £100,000 from Birkdale property developer Terry Riley.

This year, properties linked to him, including his own home, have been firebombed and shot at.

Yesterday, Mr Riley ran into Ainsdale police station, saying he had come under attack driving down Southport’s coastal road in his 4x4.

He told officers two gunmen on motorbikes had drawn alongside him and opened fire.

It came on the same day Mr Riley and his business associate John Ball put up a £25,000 reward for information.

On Friday, the Litherland home of Mr Riley’s parents, Terry and Ann, was petrol-bombed. A masked gang smashed the window and set it alight as the couple ran for help.

His mother, Ann, came face to face with the gang when she opened her front door after the attack, and watched as the masked men sped off in a getaway car, which later crashed into a lamp-post in Sterrix Lane.

Hours after the arson attack, shots were fired at the home of Mr Riley’s daughter, Sharon Riley, in Crosby.

On Thursday, April 30, a black Range Rover belonging to Mr Riley’s parents-in-law was firebombed in Litherland.

A spokesman for the family said: “Terry and Ann are very private people. They spend a lot of time caring for their grandchildren and Sharon, their daughter. Terry is a retired builder and Ann is best described as a lovely person.

“The couple are very frightened, but they will return to their home in Litherland. The Riley family would like to pay tribute to the Gorsey Lane community, who have rallied round with their support.”