POLICE in Essex are liaising with Suffolk Constabulary over a pair of armed robberies they believe may be linked.

POLICE in Essex are liaising with Suffolk Constabulary over a pair of armed robberies they believe may be linked.

The latest robbery, which happened in Dedham on Friday, bore similarities with a raid that happened in Brantham earlier this month.

On both occasions three men wearing balaclavas targeted Co-op stores and one of them brandished a shotgun.

The Dedham raid happened at around 8.15pm when a trio of robbers threatened staff and customers and left with a large amount of cash.

The robbers were masked, of average height and build and had local accents. The two members of staff on duty, a man and woman, were uninjured but very shocked in the raid.

An Essex Police spokeswoman later confirmed detectives were sharing information with police in Suffolk investigating the Brantham robbery, which happened on November 1, also at around 8.15pm.

The use of a shotgun in both raids raised officers' suspicions the crimes could be the work of the same gang.

As in the Dedham raid, masked men forced customers in the Brantham shop to lie on the floor before they carried out the robbery.

Anyone with information on the Brantham can contact Det Sgt Ewan MacGregor at Sudbury CID on 01473 613500. Information about the Dedham raid can be given to Det Sgt Jennings on 01206 762212.