Shop is held up by armed robbers twice in five days

A STORE held up by armed robbers who tried to smash open the till with an axe was targeted by a knife-wielding shoplifter just five days before, it emerged today.

The pair of robbers struck at the Scotmid store in Calder Road, brandishing an axe as terrified staff and several customers looked on. The suspects tried to break open the till with the weapon but failed, instead grabbing cigarettes and alcohol before fleeing.

The same Parkhead store was targeted on Wednesday at 8pm when a shop security guard tackled a thief as he tried to run off with packets of meat. Both fell to the ground and two women, believed to be acting as lookouts, began kicking the guard as the pair lay on the floor. The shoplifter managed to break free and pulled out a seven-inch long knife before threatening the guard.

Detectives are studying CCTV footage from both incidents as they appealed for information to help trace the culprits.

Malcolm Brown, head of corporate communications for Scotmid, said: "We are horrified that this happened to our staff, and to the customers as well. These people are dangerous and need to be caught."

The security guard attacked last Wednesday was not working during the latest attempted robbery. He said: "It was about 8pm when I saw two women looking through the store window. I thought that was suspicious and went to look in an aisle where I saw a man with packs of meat in his arms.

"He started to run but I stood in front of him and both of us went crashing into some trolleys. While we were on the ground, the women came in and started to kick me. When the guy got up, he pulled out a blade. Then he stood at the entrance shouting 'come on then'.

"I'd managed to pull off his hooded top and we gave that to police along with the CCTV."

In the latest hold-up at 6pm on Monday, both men were wearing scarves hiding their faces, along with hooded tops covering their heads.