Shop raids by masked thugs with hammers

Masked robbers armed with hammers threatened staff in raids just hours apart on two shops in the Black Country but it is not known if they are linked.

Two thugs threatened workers at a DIY store in Wolverhampton and escaped with cash, just hours after a man wearing a balaclava burst into a betting shop in Dudley.

But the robber who raided Wilf Gilbert's bookies in Lower Gornal was forced to flee empty-handed after his weapon fell apart.

The hold-up at 6.40pm on Tuesday was bungled when the head of his hammer flew off as he struck the plastic screen separating him from the manager of the shop.

Just 13 hours later, two men with hammers forced their way into Focus DIY, in Stafford Street, just outside Wolverhampton city centre.

Three members of staff, two women and a man, were opening the shop at 7.40am yesterday when the robbers ambushed them.

The men, who had their faces covered and were wearing baseball caps and gloves, demanded cash from the workers and escaped with a large amount. It is believed they forced staff to open the store's safe.

West Midlands Police spokesman Brigg Ford said today it was too early at the moment to say if the crimes are linked.