Police probe knifepoint shop thefts

KNIFE-WIELDING thieves stole cash during two shop robberies within hours of each other.

The first happened at a convenience store on Elsdon Terrace, in North Shields, at around 2.15pm on Sunday when a man brandishing a blade entered the store and took cash from the till.

Northumbria Police said nobody was injured during the incident.

The suspected offender is described as white and in his mid-30s. He had his face covered and was wearing a green hooded coat and black pants.

Less than two hours later, a separate robbery took place at Farmfoods, in The Boulevard Shopping Centre, in Longbenton.

At around 3.45pm, a man again entered the store brandishing a knife and then fled the scene with a quantity of cash.

He is described white, around 5ft 11in, with his face covered and wearing a dark jacket. He is thought to have left in the direction of Longbenton Metro station.

Det Sgt Mark Rutherford said: “At this stage in our enquiries we do not believe these two robberies are linked and it is likely that two separate offenders are responsible.”