Gang armed with gun and meat cleaver steals £100,000 of jewellery from Madina in Derby Street, Daubhill

Three men smashed their way into Madina jewellers in Derby Street at about 11.20am this morning and stole thousands of pounds of 22-carat gold.

They had pulled up outside in a blue Volkswagen Golf, with a driver who stayed in the car throughout the raid.

The trio burst into the shop, two armed with bladed items, one of which was a meat cleaver, and the third man was armed with a gun.

They stole jewellery from both the shop and the safe, before escaping in the Golf, which was later found abandoned in nearby Gregson Fields.

The glass panels in Madina's front door were cracked in the raid, but none of the staff on duty were injured and there were no direct threats made to them.

A police spokesman said: "We are appealing for witnesses to come forward, and speaking to anyone who rung it in and a few people did so.

"Anyone who saw anything at the time should call us as a matter of urgency."

Police say they will trawl CCTV footage of the shop over the coming days.

The driver of the Golf is described as an Asian man, who was wearing a scarf over his face and sunglasses.

Eyewitnesses and shop staff said the men who raided the jewellers were dressed all in black and were wearing balaclavas.

The owners of Madina did not wish to comment, but confirmed that "close to" £100,000 of goods had been stolen, mostly 22-carat gold items.

Madina closed after the incident, while the adjoining shop, Hari News and Printers, was also shut.

Police will be interviewing the shop staff and the people who called in.

Madina was raided by three men disguised in burkas in October, 2012, who conned their way into the store before stealing a display cabinet of jewellery.