A man has pleaded guilty to raiding a sandwich shop in Cirencester armed with an axe.

Sean Porter, of no fixed address, admitted his role in the raid at Subway, when a man was seen with an axe on the evening of Saturday, January 20.

He also held up the Chippenham town centre subway two days later, Swindon Crown Court heard.

The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, burgling a barber in Swindon and aggravated taking without consent in Gloucester.

He pleaded not guilty to a robbery of a third Subway in Devizes on January 7, with prosecutors considering whether to seek a trial.

Porter, who appeared in court by videolink, was remanded in custody after the case was adjourned to June 21.

CCTV footage from the Brewery Court branch of the sandwich chain showed a raider dressed in black carrying an axe.

His face was covered with a beanie hat pulled down to his eyes and a scarf up over his nose when he demanded cash at about 8.30pm before fleeing towards the car park.

At about the same time two days later a man walked through the back door of shop on The Bridge, Chippenham, and ordered a female member of staff to open the safe till.

His face was covered up to his nose, with a hat pulled down to the top of his eyes, and he was dressed in all black with black gloves and sand-coloured work-style boots.

After taking a quantity of cash he placed it in a black and red laptop-style bag before leaving by the same rear door.

It is thought he was heard speaking to an accomplice outside and they both got into a vehicle and drove off.