THREE men wearing ski masks and armed with knives stole jewellery and cash worth £50,000 from a shop.

Detectives have launched a witness appeal following the raid at 2.25pm on Saturday May 7 at Michael Roberts Jewellers in Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge.

Detective Constable Jon Ashcroft of GMP's Bolton division said the intruders arrived in a Ford Transit van with a private registration plate but without any distinctive marks.

They came from the direction of Crompton Way and pulled up and parked calmly outside the family-run business on the road so as not to attract attention.

The getaway driver waited in the van while his accomplices dressed in all black clothing, gloves and ski masks burst in and made verbal threats.

Det Con Ashcroft said: "They could have been anyone. They didn't screech up.

"There were three members of staff, two of them were downstairs in the shop.

"The offenders made them do as they were told, to stay in the corner and to keep still as they carried out the robbery.

"There were no injuries and no customers."

Over the course of about three minutes the raiders stole rings and bracelets – the kind of jewellery knowing as 'weighing-in gold' – as well as cash and a few select pieces and customers' items that had been left for repair. 

Det Con Ashcroft said the haul was worth an estimated £50,000 although the store's owners are still calculating their losses.

After the heist the three robbers fled back into the van, which drove off southbound down Blackburn Road and was found less than 30 minutes later by officers abandoned but intact and untouched in nearby Gresham Street, Bolton.

Enquiries established the van had been previously stolen from an address in Farnworth on Tuesday April 26.

Police recovered a kitchen knife that the robbers had left at the scene of the independent, traditional family business that has been operating since 1974.

Det Con Ashcroft said: "This was a brazen attack that took place during a busy Saturday afternoon on a very busy road.

"The robbery has had a great impact on the owners at the store not only emotionally but financially and left them and their staff feeling very distressed.

"If anybody has any information then I would urge them to please contact police."

He said passing drivers or motorists queuing at the traffic lights at the crossroads of Blackburn Road and Moss Bank Way could hold important clues to the identity of the offenders.

One man has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of burglary pending further enquiries.

Anybody with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 1326 of 07/05/16, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.