MASKED men wielding hammers held-up supermarket staff in the middle of the night in what was the second armed robbery of a store in less than a week.

Three men equipped with weapons left employees “shaken but not harmed” when they stole what is believed to be £6,000 from Morrisons in Lea Gate, Harwood, at 1.30am this morning, Thursday, October 6.

It follows a raid in which two cash-in-transit drivers were injured at Sainsbury’s in Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, on Friday.

The two incidents are not being linked.

In the latest incident Morrisons had closed to the public at 10pm and only night staff were in the building.

One employee said: “Three men in balaclavas got away with over six grand and smashed everything up.”

A Morrisons spokesman said: “The night team were shaken but not harmed and we are now assisting the police with their investigations.”

Detectives are investigating the attack — and any potential links to a similar robbery at the Yorkshire-based chain’s branch in Ramsbottom the evening before.

One reader, who asked to remain anonymous, believes the culprits may have conducted reconnaissance just days earlier.

She said: “Earlier on this week a car of masked men with hammers were seen in a 65-plate Vauxhall Astra and the registration was passed on to the police.

“Three men got out all masked and the driver remained in the car.

“It was in the Tonge Fold area and spotted by my friend. She thinks they were targeting the shops in Bury Road.

“This was reported to police on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

“However if there were no reports of robberies that night, I’m not sure how serious they’d have taken it.”

The Harwood store was robbed at exactly the same time of night almost two years ago when four balaclava-clad men armed with crowbars and hammers forced their way into the store and escaped in a van with two trolley loads of cigarettes.

The Sainsbury’s robbery saw two men armed with a sledgehammer and a crowbar attacking two of three Loomis delivery drivers inside the store and escaping with a substantial amount of money.