Raid car had been stolen; POLICE APPEAL.

Byline: SOPHIE DOUGHTY

THE car used in an armed raid at a supermarket had been stolen an hour earlier.

Detectives are piecing together the sequence of events that led to the robbery at Asda in Benton, North Tyneside, yesterday. Staff were threatened with a shotgun and a machete by two masked men. They escaped with tills containing cash after smashing their way into the store at around 3.20am.

It is the third time this year an Asda supermarket on Tyneside has been raided by smash-and-grab robbers on the morning after a bank holiday.

Police believe the H-reg white Honda Civic car used by the robbers was stolen from Treherne Road, in Jesmond, Newcastle, at around 2.20am.

After leaving the supermarket, the men drove to Elizabeth Court in Palmersville, North Tyneside.

At around 3.30am, the robbers pulled away in another dark car.

A few minutes later a police patrol car began following a black Subaru Imprezza, which had a driver and one passenger.

It travelled along Wallsend Road from the A19 and was followed to Whitley Bay before the patrol car lost sight of it.

At around 3.50am, officers saw the Subaru in Seghill, Northumberland, with just the driver inside. A lengthy pursuit involving the police helicopter took place.

At 4.10am the vehicle was stopped at Moor Farm. A 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of robbery remained in custody this morning.

Police say they are keeping an open mind about whether the raid was linked to almost identical robberies at Asda Gateshead, on Tuesday, May 26, and Asda Gosforth, on Tuesday, May 5. Det Chief Insp Mick Paterson, of North Tyneside CID, said: "We are carrying out a number of lines of inquiry."

Anyone with any information is asked to call Northumbria Police on 03456 043 043.

CAPTION(S):

ASDA ROBBERY: The front page report in yesterday's Chronicle

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