Police have made an arrest in connection with an armed robbery at the Jesmond Waitrose.

A man entered the supermarket on Osborne Road last Friday at 7.10am, with his face covered and brandishing a suspected firearm. Northumbria Police say he threatened staff before stealing around 120 packets of cigarettes, then  escaping in the direction of Acorn Road. The man was described as around 6ft 1in in height, white, slim build, and speaking with the local dialect. He was wearing a bobble hat and a dark anorak.

No one was injured but customers and staff in the store at the time of the incident were left upset and shocked.

Police made an arrest in connection with the incident and added neighbourhood officers on foot-patrol for the rest of the day, to reassure residents.

There has been a string of robberies in Jesmond recently with Jules B, which is located next door to Waitrose, experiencing an attempted theft the previous week and Sainsbury’s in West Jesmond also falling victim to an armed robbery in January. There is an ongoing police investigation into whether that robbery at Sainsbury’s is linked to another at the neighbouring Lonsdale Pub last October.

If you have information that could aid these police investigations, please contact the police on 101 quoting log 151 23/02/18 or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.