Police are investigating a spate of five robberies which took place over the course of two hours in Colchester this morning.

Officers were initially called to reports that a woman in her 20s had been robbed of her handbag, cash and cards in Haven Road at around 5am.

At around 5.45am, a man in his 20s was threatened in Kendall Road but managed to run from the scene and alert police.

At 6am a third victim was approached from behind in Winnock Road.

He had nothing to hand over and was pushed to the ground before the suspect fled towards James Street.

Then just before 6.30am, a man in his 20s was threatened near to the Tesco in Greenstead.

He had cut down Hythe Hill from Magdalen Street when he was approached close to the bridge.

His cards, cash and phone were taken and the suspect fled up Hythe Hill towards the town centre.

The final victim, a woman in her 30s, was held at knifepoint near to Victor Road at 6.50am.

It is believed the suspect continued in Barrack Street towards the town.

A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery just after 7am and has since been released under investigation.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Knight, of Colchester CID, said: “This is a highly opportunistic series of robberies and attempted robberies.

“The victims are all, understandably, shaken by their experiences today and I applaud them for their bravery and quick-thinking in these threatening situations. I’m very glad that no one was hurt.

“Our teams were deployed to each scene and carried out searches in the area.

“Now I’m asking the people of Colchester to assist us in piecing together the movements of two men we believe to be involved in today’s incidents.

“One of the men is believed to be white and aged in his early 20s with blonde hair.

“He is around 5ft 9in tall and of slim build.

“He wore a black cap, a black tracksuit with white stripes down the trousers and a hooded jacket and a puffed coat.

“He wore a black scarf with white stripes around his face.

“I would also like to speak to a man who some victims describe as being in the vicinity of these crimes when they were being committed.

“He is described as being white, aged between 25 and 35, and stood at around 6ft tall. He wore a cream hooded jumper.

“At this stage, the stage of his involvement is not clear, but we would be keen to speak to him about what he’s seen this morning.

“If you live in the areas of Hythe or New Town and have access to CCTV or were driving through the area and have dash cam footage, please contact us.

“If you heard something that you didn’t think much of at the time, or saw anyone matching the two descriptions above, it’s important that you let us know.

“You can Colchester CID on 101 quoting the crime reference number 42/17671/19. If you don’t want to speak to us in the first instance, you can call Crimestoppers completely anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“I would like to reassure the local community that my detectives are working diligently to try and identify anyone we believe may be involved and get them off of the streets and into our custody.”