POLICE have carried out anniversary checks across a historic town as the hunt for jewellery robbers who burst into a town centre shop brandishing a sledgehammer and axe continues.

Dave Gooderham

POLICE have carried out anniversary checks across a historic town as the hunt for jewellery robbers who burst into a town centre shop brandishing a sledgehammer and axe continues.

Four men are still wanted in connection with the armed robbery at Thurlow Champness jewellers on Abbeygate Street, Bury St Edmunds, last Wednesday.

Officers have retraced the steps they believe the robbers might have taken as they fled the store and talked to members of the public in a bid to gain fresh information about the raid.

Two men, believed to be of Middle Eastern appearance and wearing white all-in-one suits and black balaclavas, burst into the shop and smashed display cabinets, stealing a quantity of stock. A sledgehammer and a long-handled axe were later recovered.

Det Sgt Stuart Sowerby said: “I am still keen to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity around the jewellers and the route away, as much as a week before the robbery happened.

“I also want to speak to anyone who may have seen the BMW entering Bury, or its occupants in and around Looms Lane on March 31.”

In the last 24 hours, police have pieced together what they believe was the robbers' movements in the aftermath of the raid.

The offenders left the scene in a grey VW Golf along Hatter Street driven by a third male. This vehicle was recovered in a car park on Whiting Street. It is believed the three males then got into a white medium-sized hatchback car on College Lane, driven by a fourth male. A silver BMW was also recovered on Abbeygate Street.

Police started the anniversary checks in Looms Lane on Tuesday night after inquiries revealed that the silver BMW was parked overnight in this location before the robbery took place.

They then spoke to people passing by the jewellers on High Baxter Street and Abbeygate Street on Wednesday morning, and to members of the public along Hatter Street, Churchgate Street, Whiting Street and College Lane - the route the offenders took away from the scene.

Anyone with information about the incident - which took place at about 9.30pm - should contact Bury CID on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.