SHOPS and bookmakers across Gloucestershire have been targeted by thieves brandishing a hammer

In five seperate incidents which are being linked by police each, staff and customers have been threatened with a weapon.

The first incident occured on Friday, October 17 at a convenience store on London Road in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham.

 One of two men that entered the store took hold of a member of staff and threatened to hurt him with a hammer unless staff opened the tills. The two then made off with several hundred pounds.

On Monday October 20, just before 520pm  at a convenience store on the High Street in Bourton-on-the-Water,  a shop workers fought off two males brandishing hammers with a cleaning product when they tried to rob the store. The two then left empty handed.

On the same day at 640pm,  two masked robbers entered a bookmakers on Mill Parade in Bishop's Cleeve, near Cheltenham and threatened a staff member with a hammer and stole several hundred pounds.

Then on October 22  at Corals the bookmakers on Bath Road in Cheltenham at 615pm, a man entered the store, went behind the staff counter, threatened staff with a claw hammer, before stealing  several hundred pounds.

The fifth incident happened at Backhouse Bets on Northway Lane in Tewkesbury on Thursday October 23 at 545pm.

A man entered the store, approached the staff counter, threatened a member of staff and a customer with a rock hammer  before stealing  several hundred pounds.

The men are described as between 5’ 6” and 6’ tall and the taller of the men is of slighter build wearing a light grey tracksuit top with a hood over his head and grey or darker coloured ‘jogging’ trousers or similar.

The shorter man is of a stockier build wearing light grey coloured hooded top again over his head and jogging style bottoms.

There was believed to be a large motif or writing on the front of one of the hooded tops and bith men were wearing face masks, one of which was light grey in colour and one which was darker in colour.

Police are appealing for witnesses in relation to the incidents, particularly of the movements of the offender, both before and after the incidents and potential vehicles that may have been sighted, or acting suspiciously in nearby areas.

DC Andy Houghton, from Gloucestershire Police’s CID, said: "These are serious offences committed by individuals who show no regard for the threatening behaviour and intimidation they have caused. We would urge people not to confront these individuals, as they are armed and would put you at risk of serious harm. However we ask that anyone with information to contact 101.