THE owner of a professional photographic studio was kicked about the head and body by three masked robbers who forced their way into his Rawtenstall premises.

At 9.15pm on Thursday, the owner of Malcolm Birkett Photography heard a knock at the door of his industrial unit on Newhallhey Road.

It is the third robbery in two days in Rawtenstall.

He thought it was a security guard but was confronted by three men wearing balaclava masks who barged into the premises.

They kicked him about the head and body and demanded he hand over the keys to his £20,000 two-door blue Mitsubishi 3000 GT sports car with the personal registration number R5MBP.

They went into his office and stole the keys and also took an Apple Mcintosh G3 lap-top computer worth £2,300 and a Nokia 7110 mobile phone worth £150.

Two of the men were seen to make their escape in the owner's vehicle.

They were all white and spoke with local accents and were wearing dark balaclavas.

One is described as 5ft 10ins, medium build, a fawn or beige top, a second was 6ft 4ins and of medium build and the third was 5ft 3ins and of medium build. No-one at the firm was available to comment on the raid today. Police said the owner declined hospital treatment. On Wednesday night a masked man brandishing a handgun stole cash from the Corner Shop off-licence on Burnley Road at 10pm and a man with a craft knife stole money from Booze Busters off-licence on Bank Street at 8.55pm. The 58-year-old shopkeeper and 18-year-old assistant were not injured in either incident.

The man who raided the Corner Shop made his escape on a dark-coloured mountain bike with a small red flashing light on the back.

Police are appealing for a number of possible witnesses to come forward who were in the vicinity of Booze Busters at the time.

The last customer in the shop was a middle-aged white woman with a seven or eight-year-old girl who was of Afro-Caribbean appearance and a middle aged couple. The man had a beard and they were seen on Bank Street.

The robber was wearing a dark stocking mask which he discarded outside the shop. He is described as white, 5ft 8ins, medium build, with short light-coloured hair, not blond, with a slim face, wearing a salmon-coloured top and grey mid-charcoal waist-length jacket with a zip front and possibly boots.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents is asked to contact Rossendale CID on 01706 237442.