New leads in hunt for robbers

OFFICERS investigating an armed robbery at a supermarket in Witham have returned to the scene exactly one week later in an attempt to identify potential witnesses.

OFFICERS investigating an armed robbery at a supermarket in Witham have returned to the scene exactly one week later and unearthed new leads in the hunt for those responsible.

Detectives were outside the Morrisons store yesterday and at the industrial estate near where the getaway car was discovered to try to track down anyone who may have been in the area at the time of the robbery.

The raiders escaped with an undisclosed five-figure sum of money when they held up a security guard last Friday.

And police said yesterday the response to their renewed appeal had been “very positive” and several new lines of enquiry had emerged.

Det-con Sharon Joiner, officer in charge of the case, said: “We're hoping people will read the papers and information will come forward. We've still got a number of enquiries to conduct and CCTV cameras to look at. We are putting a number of staff into the investigation.”

The two assailants are described as white, one aged around 40 and the other between 20 and 30.

There has so far been only one confirmed witness of the robbery as well as the Securitas security guard who was threatened by the two men as he made a collection from a cash dispenser outside the store.

Police are searching for two white men, who were thought to be wearing fluorescent orange vests when they threatened the security guard with a hand-gun before stealing a cash box containing a large sum of money at the store shortly before 11am.

The two men were then seen fleeing the scene in a Vauxhall Cavalier, which was later found in nearby Motts Lane in flames.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Witham police on 01376 551312.