A police investigation has been launched after three masked intruders carried out a robbery at a Houghton-le-Spring shop.
Three men entered Burnside Stores on Woodburn Drive on Monday, January 2 and threatened a member of staff before making off with a bottle of spirits. It is understood the robbers attempted to break the lock off a vape cabinet but were unable to before fleeing.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly after 1.30pm on Monday, we received a report of a robbery at Burnside Stores on Woodburn Drive, Houghton-le-Spring. It was reported that three men entered the store and threatened a member of staff before attempting to break the lock off a vape cabinet.
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“Unable to break the lock, it was reported they stole a bottle of spirits before leaving the store. No one was physically harmed and enquiries into the incident are on-going.”
CCTV of the robbery was shared on social media by Burnside Stores and showed three masked and hooded men enter the store. One of the intruders - who was in possession of what appears to be a rubber mallet - can be seen threatening a woman upon entry as another guards the entrance and the third tries to open a cabinet.
The man with the mallet then hits the cabinet with the weapon but fails to break in, the trio then leaves before one takes a bottle of spirits from a shelf and they leave. As yet, no arrests have been made.
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