Masked men armed with knives hold up shop

5:06pm Friday 4th April 2008

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TWO masked men burst into a shop and ordered the terrified staff to hand over all the cash tills.

One of the men wielded a knife as he threatened workers at the Late Shop in Thornylea on Tuesday night.

Police said that the two men, who were both wearing balaclavas, got away with three cash draws containing around £400 as well as tokens worth about £200.

The four staff on duty were left shaken but not hurt after the robbery.

Police have released a description of the two men and are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward.

One offender was described as around 6ft tall with a slim build, wearing dark clothing and a dark balaclava.

The second man who was carrying a knife, was 6ft tall, of slim build wearing a jacket with yellow and white horizontal stripes on it.

Dave Dreenwood of Rossendale CID said: "We are appealing for witnesses to this incident.

"We would like to hear from anyone who saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area at 10.28pm on Tuesday, April 1."

A spokesman for The Co-operative Group said that they would be reviewing security at the shop after the robbery.

The spokesman said: "We can confirm that a robbery took place at our Whitworth store at 10.30pm on Tuesday evening.

"Two armed robbers escaped with a quantity of cash. Four staff were shaken but not hurt.

"There were no customers in the store at the time of the incident.

"As with any incident such as this, security measures at the store are being reviewed."

Anyone who witnesses this incident can contact Rossendale police on 01706 237481.