DETECTIVES are seeking the help of the public after two Co-op stores were robbed within the space of 37 minutes.
Men armed with machetes raided stores in Mobberley and Macclesfield last night (Sunday), shortly before they were due to close, before fleeing with cash.
In each case the robbers were wearing dark clothes and balaclavas, and detectives investigating the raids believe they could be connected.
A Co-op spokesman said no-one was injured in the robberies, but staff were left shaken.
The first robbery happened at 9.18pm at the Ivy Meade Co-op in Ivy Road, Macclesfield.
Three men entered the store with machetes before making demands on staff and fleeing with cash.
The same evening, at 9.55pm at the Co-op in Town Lane, Mobberley, two men entered the store with machetes, demanded access to money and fled with cash. No-one was injured in either incident.
DC Andrew Roberts said: “We believe an SUV or a 4x4 vehicle is involved in the incident in Macclesfield.
“I would urge anyone who may have been in the areas where the robberies took place, between 9.18pm and 10pm, and may have seen suspicious activity or caught anything on dashcam, to contact us.”
A Co-op spokesman said: “Intruders entered our Mobberley store yesterday evening (Sunday).
“Fortunately, no-one was hurt, however colleagues were left shaken.
“We appeal for anyone who saw or heard anything to come forward to police, who are investigating.
“Safety and security is our number one priority. We know violence and crime is about much more than statistics, it is about its impact on people’s lives.
“As a community-based organisation we see the impact of social issues in our stores and in the communities in which colleagues live and work, and the Co-op is investing millions of pounds on the latest technologies and security to deter criminal activity.”
The robbery at the Co-op in Mobberley was the second in six months, after a man wearing a balaclava entered the store with a weapon at 8.40pm in March and made off with cash.
Last month three men, two armed with machetes, stole cash from the Co-op on Parkgate Lane, Knutsford, after threatening staff.
Anyone with information should contact Cheshire Police on 101 or via cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiries/ making sure you quote IML 483479 for the Macclesfield robbery and IML 483495 for the Mobberley robbery.
If you have dashcam footage you can submit it by going to
cheshire.police.uk/advice-and-support/roads-and-vehicle-safety/submit-dashcam-footage/
Information can also be given anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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