Police are appealing for witnesses to armed robberies in York and Harrogate which happened within hours of each other.

The first incident took place at about 6pm last night, when a man brandishing a handgun and wearing a balaclava mask walked into Hargrave's Chemists, in Front Street, Acomb.

He threatened staff with the gun and made off with an undisclosed quantity of tablets, prompting armed response vehicles to arrive on the scene.

At about 8.30pm, police responded to a burglary in progress in St Stephen's Road, Acomb, which officers quickly linked to the armed robbery.

As a result, armed officers surrounded a first-floor flat in Lindsay Avenue, Acomb, at about 1am, where they arrested a 28-year-old local man for armed robbery and burglary.

Anyone who can help police with their investigation should ring 01904 631321.

Meanwhile, police are trying to trace the perpetrators of a "particularly nasty" armed robbery which took place in Harrogate at about 9.50pm yesterday. Three masked men entered the Co-op store in Otley Road, Harrogate, and staff and customers were threatened at gunpoint.

An alarm was activated, but the three men stole cash from the shop and made off in a blue Vauxhall Cavalier, believed to have been driven by a fourth person.

The car was later found abandoned at the Pine Marten pub, in Otley Road.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "Although no weapon was discharged, this was a particularly nasty attack with both staff and customers being threatened."

One member of staff received a slight injury to the side of the head.

It is believed the men used another car to make good their escape and police are particularly keen to trace a maroon Vauxhall Astra seen earlier in the day in the car park of the Pine Marten.

Police are appealing for information to help their inquiry and are asking people who saw anyone suspicious hanging around the area close to the time of the robbery to ring Harrogate police on 01423 505541.

Updated: 14:33 Tuesday, February 06, 2001