Five arrests after armed robbery at store

Offenders wearing balaclavas and brandishing a sledgehammer and crowbar burst into the McColls convenience store in Atherton at around 12.35pm on Tuesday August 29.

Petrified staff were threatened, with one employee being repeatedly punched in the face.

Three robbers took a small amount of cash and stamps before fleeing the Car Bank store in a Vauxhall Vectra that had been parked outside throughout.

Three men later made their way to the M61 where they attacked the elderly male driver of a Toyota Yaris and tried to drag a woman out of the car onto the sliproad of junction four.

Police have now arrested four men, two of them aged 36 and the others aged 32 and 35, on suspicion of robbery.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) also detained a 28-year-old woman on suspicion of money laundering as part of the same investigation.

All five remain in custody for questioning.

Police are now urging anyone who may have seen the incident or know anything about the robbery to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 2095 or 101, quoting incident number 973 for 29/08/17, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.