Police have released images of a vehicle and two men they would like to speak to in connection with two robberies that took place in Wigan

Police have released images of a vehicle and two men they would like to speak to in connection with two robberies that took place within just a few hours in Wigan.

At around 10.55pm on Thursday 6 February 2020, two men entered the McColls store on Wigan Road and threatened staff before grabbing a quantity of cash from the till. The two men fled the scene in a red vehicle and headed in an unknown direction.

No one was injured during the robbery but the staff were left clearly traumatised after the incident

The following morning at around 6.05am, two men entered Tesco Express on Poolstock and assaulted a staff member with a baseball bat and left him with minor injuries.

The men jumped over the till to take cigarettes and cash. The two men then fled in a red vehicle towards Wigan town centre.

Detective Sergeant Sarah Bell, of GMP’s Wigan District, said: “This was a frightening incident for the employees involved in each robbery – staff who were just doing their job. Thankfully they did not suffer any severe injuries, but this does not mean we are not taking this offence extremely seriously.

“We understand this incident took place just over a month ago but after following every possible line of enquiry we have now released images of a car and two men we would like speak to in connection with the incident.

“We believe these two incidents to be linked and are asking anyone who recognises these men, or if anyone was close to the stores at the time of the incident and saw anything unusual or suspicious, to contact police as soon as possible.”

Anyone who has any information about the robberies should call police on 0161 856 3034 quoting incident number 3480 of 06/02/20.

Details can also be passed on anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.