Armed raiders strike in petrol station raid; CCTV catches duo as they loot cigarettes.

Byline: By LIZ WALKER

ARMED and dangerous, these masked raiders smash their way into a petrol station.

With black balaclavas hiding their faces, the two men battered their way into the Somerfield garage, Moor Farm, Cramlington, with a metal drain cover just before 5am yesterday.

Terrified staff cowered in the background as the men grabbed rubbish bins and looted cigarettes worth pounds 7,000 before fleeing the scene.

Detectives investigating the robbery have released these CCTV stills in a bid to trace those involved in this "unusual" crime.

Det Insp Steve Would have, of Northumberland area command, said: "Robberies such as this are quite unusual and we are following up a number of lines of enquiry.

"We hope the public will be able to help by letting us know any information they may have about the car, the individuals involved or the bin."

Police believe at least two men were involved and drove to the scene in a Vauxhall Cavalier stolen sometime after 11pm on Wednesday from the Gosforth area.

The car, registration L45 WYS, was found burnt out in Seghill around 5.45am.

The men broke into the supermarket using a metal drain cover to smash the door glass.

They then filled two black bins with cigarettes. One of the bins had the number 454 written on it in white paint.

No-one was hurt during the raid, although staff were left shocked.

The first man was white, approximately 5ft 9in, medium build and spoke with a local, but not Geordie, accent.

He is believed to be in his 20s. He wore black clothing, possibly a bomber-style black jacket, a balaclava and black gloves.

The second man is white, approximately 5ft 6in tall and of medium build.

He is also believed to be in his 20s but didn't speak.

He wore a brown jacket and a balaclava and gloves.

This latest raid follows three armed raids at Coral Bookmakers in Stanley, Chisholm Bookmakers in West Road, Newcastle, and Ladbrokes in Washington, on Tuesday.

Police are not linking the robberies at this stage.

Anyone with any information should contact Northumbria Police on 03456 043 043, on either ext 61826 or 69191.

CAPTION(S):

MASKED: One of the men waits outside before the attack begins; SMASH: The petrol station door is broken with a drain cover; HAUL: The thieves filled rubbish bins with cigarettes worth pounds 7,000 before fleeing