Red Ford Fiesta clue in hunt for criminals

POLICE believe three men and a red Ford Fiesta may be linked to a spree of break-ins and a road-rage incident.

The four incidents all took place within little more than two hours in Oldham and Rochdale on Friday afternoon:

3pm: Three men broke into a property on Ripponden Road, Denshaw. After searching the property, it is believed they fled the scene in a red Fiesta.

3.40pm: Three masked men forced their way into a property on Foxhill in Shaw and threatened the elderly occupants with a screwdriver. The men searched for valuables before fleeing. The homeowners were left shaken, but physically injured.

4pm: Police received reports that three men travelling in a red Fiesta smashed the windows of a car travelling on Turf Hill Road in Rochdale in an apparent road-rage incident. The offenders then drove off.

4.50-5.05pm: Three men forced their way into the home of an elderly couple on Hereford Street in Rochdale and threatened the occupants in a similar fashion to the incident in Shaw. The men fled with valuables.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary McIntyre said: “This is quite a strange set of circumstances involving four separate incidents that stretch across two different towns but are very similar in nature.”

Anybody with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 9059.