A WOMAN was threatened by a thug wielding a metal bar during a smash and grab raid on an Atherton electrical store last night.

The woman was threatened as she watched a gang ransacking the Norweb shop in Market Street.

The same gang are believed to be responsible for a spate of other robberies in the Leigh area through the night.

The three men first struck at the Norweb shop at about 9.30pm. They smashed the metal shutters before loading the cars with thousands of pounds worth of electrical equipment, mainly televisions and videos.

The terrified woman on the opposite side of the road was forced to flee as one the yobs came towards her waving a metal bar and screaming.

Detectives believe the raiders struck again at the Texaco Service Station on Bolton Road, Atherton, at 3.30am.

And an hour later masked yobs smashed down the shutters at the Pennington Sporting Goods Shop on Railway Road, Leigh, and hurled a metal bin through the window. A Webley air rifle was stolen and a red car was seen leaving the the scene at high speed.

Detectives are trying to trace witnesses to the Norweb raid. A spokesman said: "There were quite a number of people about and we would like them to come forward as witnesses," said a senior detective.

One of the men was white, in his early 20s with light brown, cropped short hair and wearing dark short coat and jeans.

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