Police are appealing to the public to come forward with information after two shops in Lancaster and Garstang were targeted by armed robbers on Saturday night (4th February).
The first offence took place around 8.40pm when two masked men entered Leas Grocery store on Coulston Road, Lancaster, demanding the 20-year-old shop assistant open the till. When he refused he was hit over the arm with a stick and the two men then left empty handed and were seen to run off down Cork Road.
Both men are described as being around 5ft 10” tall, slim build, wearing grey clothing and hoods with scarfs or similar disguising the lower part of their faces.
Almost an hour later at 9.30pm, two men entered the off license on Croston Road in Garstang with an iron bar.
One of the men reached over the counter where the female shop assistant was stood and stole part of the till containing a small amount of cash. Both men then run off towards Garstang town centre.
The following day the stolen till was recovered at Fowler Hill layby, the cash taken.
The first offender is descried as white, quite pale, with possibly light coloured or ginger eye brows, about 5ft 8” tall, average build with a local accent. He was wearing dark clothes with his hood up and trainers.
The second man is described as being around the same height and build with the same local accent but was but not as pale and had dark eyebrows.
“Both incidents are serious and have left the shop assistants badly shaken but thankfully no one was injured,” commented Detective Sergeant Colin Forsyth from Lancaster CID.
“We are still at the early stages of the investigation but we believe both offences could be linked and would appeal for any witnesses in Lancaster or Garstang who saw any suspicious people or vehicles around the times of the incidents to contact police.
• Anyone with any information should call Lancashire Police on 101. People with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.