Robbery at Heywood bookmakers

GMP

A shopworker was punched in the face during a robbery at a Heywood bookmakers.

At about 6.20pm yesterday, Friday 4 November, four masked men armed with a hammer and a crow bar entered Tote Sport betting shop on Bury Street.

They demanded staff handed over cash and punched a 50-year-old staff member in the face. They then escaped with a quantity of cash.

The victim suffered bruising to the face and was taken to Fairfield Hospital suffering from shock.

The robbers were all described as white. One was about 6ft 4in tall with a stocky build, armed with a hammer while another was about 5ft 8in tall wearing a black top and black tracksuit bottoms with Royal blue stripes down the side. The other two were shorter.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Butterworth of Rochdale CID, said: "It is appalling that a man is violently assaulted in his place of work like this.

"Thankfully he isn't badly injured but he is justifiably shook up by what happened.

"Robberies like this will not be tolerated in Rochdale and I want to reassure the victim and the wider community that we are working hard to bring these offenders to justice.

"It happened in the early evening when there would have been people around so I am confident that someone would have seen something. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary or spot some men acting suspiciously nearby?

"If so can you please call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 4646 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."