Armed robbers threaten staff and steal money in 'terrifying' raids at two Wigan shops

Three men wearing masks and wielding weapons went into the One Stop, on Chestnut Drive South, Pennington, at around 9.30pm on Thursday, October 7.

They threatened staff with an axe before leaving with money, police said.

A fourth man was waiting outside in a stolen red VW Tiguan and the men left in the car, heading in the direction of Beech Walk.

The car has since been recovered a short distance away on Chaucer Grove.

The next day, at around 10pm, police were called to reports of a robbery at another One Stop shop, this time on Old Road in Ashton.

Two masked men, who were armed with a machete and a hammer, approached two members of staff and threatened them with the weapons, before leaving with a large amount of cash and cigarettes.

No-one was injured in either robbery, but staff members were left shaken.

Police are investigating both incidents and believe they were linked. No arrests have yet been made.

Det Con Anita Lea, of Greater Manchester Police's Wigan division, said: "These robberies were understandably terrifying for the innocent staff members who were threatened with weapons.

"This behaviour is completely unacceptable and we are following a number of enquiries to identify these offenders and ensure they are brought to justice.

"If anyone has any information at all, which could help police to complete their enquiries, then please do not hesitate to get in touch."

Anyone with information can contact police on 0161 856 7124, quoting incident 3240 of October 7, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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