Co-op has said it is supporting its Maldon staff, after men armed with an axe and a crowbar robbed one of its Heybridge stores this week.

Three men entered the East of England Co-op on Lawling Avenue on Wednesday (6 October) at around 8pm and threatened staff before stealing cash and cigarettes.

One man was armed with a crowbar and another with an axe.

No one was injured.

It is the second armed robbery to take place at a Co-op in Heybridge in just over a month, after a man armed with an axe stole cash from the Co-op on Wood Road in September.

A female member of staff was injured in the attack, and had to be treated by the ambulance service at the scene.

A spokesperson for the East of England Co-op said: "We take protecting our local businesses, communities, colleagues and customers very seriously, and incidents like these are never acceptable.

"We've invested heavily in our security services and work closely with police forces, the local authorities and other agencies to share intelligence and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.

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"We are supporting our colleagues involved in this distressing incident and would urge anyone with any information to contact Essex Police or call Crimestoppers anonymously."

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We are appealing to anyone in the area at the time who may have seen the incident, or who may have captured anything suspicious on dash cam footage, to contact us on 101 quoting crime reference 42/220670/21."

You can also submit a report online via the link here or use the 'Live Chat' button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm.

Information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.