MASKED robbers armed with a crowbar raided a convenience store in Lymm in the early hours of this morning.

Two men broke into the Co-op on Heatley Mere at around 6am today, Friday, while the shop was closed to public.

One of the males was armed with a crowbar, with the pair stealing a quantity of cash and cigarettes before fleeing in a dark-coloured hatchback.

The car had no headlights on as it sped off along Chaise Meadow and onto the mini-roundabout on Birchbrook Road.

Both robbers were dressed all in black – included hooded tops with the hoods up – with their faces covered.

Cheshire Police say the man carrying the crowbar was white, around 5ft10 in height and of slim build.

This was the second time this year that the store has been targeted, with around £6,000 of cash and cigarettes having been taken by three offenders during a knifepoint robbery in May.

Detective constable Tom Ashton said: “This was a frightening incident that has understandably left the store workers shaken up.

“We are determined to establish the identities of the offenders and make them face the consequences of their actions.

“Enquiries are ongoing and I urge anyone who was in the area and believes they may have seen the men, either before the robbery or as they were fleeing the area, to contact the team here at Warrington CID.

“The same goes for anyone who thinks they may know who the offenders are or have dashcam footage of them.

“We believe that they fled in a dark coloured hatchback with no headlights on.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101, quoting incident number IML576444, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.