Police on the hunt for robbery gang

Det Con Duncan Worsley said officers are following ‘several lines of enquiry’ following the terrifying incident, which left a 33-year-old cashier at Ansdell Service Station, in Church Road, badly shaken up.

The gang wore masks over their faces and spoke with Merseyside accents, but police are not currently linking Tuesday’s robbery with one at the Black Bull in Great Eccleston late last month.

Four men, also wearing masks and speaking with Merseyside accents, tied up landlord Chris Jefferies as he was closing up before stealing between £8,000 and £10,000 of takings.

At the service station, the men struck as the cashier, who was working alone, was cashing up for the night.

They smashed their way in through a glass door before stealing £330 of Lambert and Butler Silver, and red Sterling cigarettes.

As reported in yesterday’s Gazette, police believe a man and woman walking past during the robbery, at around 10.34pm on Tuesday, may hold vital information.

Det Con Worsley said: “We are appealing for information from anyone in the vicinity at that time, that could lead to use tracing these offenders.”

A worker at the garage said he hoped the couple walking past will come forward and tell detectives what they saw.

He added: “It was a scary episode and we would like to catch them.”