POLICE are hunting two men who wielded an axe to terrify staff into handing over cash and other items at local shops.

The men, who are thought to have raided at least three stores in the last week, threatened staff, before making off with cash, alcohol and cigarettes.

The first incident happened in Grayshott on Wednesday February 27, when the Wine Rack store on Headley Road was targeted by the robbers.

At approximately 9-30 pm, two masked men burst into the store and threatened the two members of staff with an axe before escaping on foot with an amount of cash from the till.

Both members of staff were unhurt in the incident and have since returned to work.

The Wine Rack store at Beacon Hill was the robbers' second target.

During an incident at around 9 pm on Sunday, the masked men used an axe to threaten a member of staff, and then helped themselves to cash, cigarettes and a bottle of Baileys liqueur. They also took the store's CCTV camera.

Police believe the men made off in a stolen Vauxhall Astra and travelled to the Co-op store at Moggs Mead, Petersfield, where they committed the third armed robbery, just half an hour later.

Staff from the Co-op told police that two men armed with an axe and a crowbar came into the shop and made several threats before leaving with two bottles of Jack Daniels and the till, which contained cash.

The robbers escaped in the same vehicle, which was later discovered burnt out in Chichester.

Nobody was injured in the incidents and the police have said they will be looking into using CCTV footage to identify the two men.

The first man is described as white, around 5ft 1in, with bright blue eyes and wearing a navy blue scarf, with white flecks, which covered his face and a black woollen hat, dark windcheater jacket, beige cotton tracksuit trousers, white leather trainers and black woollen gloves.

His accomplice was wearing a light-coloured baseball cap, dark gloves and white trainers. He is thought to be white, with a stocky build and between 5 ft 2 in and 5ft 4in tall with a shaved head, dark stubble on his face and blue eyes.

The police are linking the incidents with an armed raid on a shop in the Farnborough area on February 27.

A spokesman for Wine Rack told The Herald: "The staff are back at work but obviously it takes a while to recover from these types of incidents and there may be long- erm effects that have not surfaced yet."

He added that he visited the Grayshott shop last week and as a direct result of the robbery, its security systems will be upgraded in the near future.

"We take the security of our staff very seriously and their safety comes above everything," he added.

Staff at the Wine Rack shops declined to comment on the robberies.