A GANG of thieves made off with £100,000 worth of jewellery during a heist.

Four men, who were armed with hammers, are reported to have robbed Sunny Jewellers, Tamworth Road, in Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle.

It happened at around 12.50pm last Wednesday, May 16, when the gang entered the shop, threatened staff and smashed display cabinets before making off with the jewellery.

They were in the store for just 55 seconds and after exiting, they got into a distinctive black Audi S5 with silver wing mirrors which had been waiting outside the shop.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw the car to come forward and also want to speak to a woman who was in the shop minutes before the robbery.

She is described as Asian, in her late 20s or early 30s, wearing a black top and a beige, flowery head scarf. She had been in the store with two other women and left less than four minutes prior to the robbery.

Detective Inspector Angela Hufton, who described the robbery as sophisticated, urged any witnesses to call police on 101.

She said: “This was sophisticated robbery that clearly had some degree of planning involved.

“The men have all had their faces covered and were only inside the jewellers for 55 seconds before making off with a number of high value items.

“Thankfully nobody inside the shop was injured but clearly an incident of this nature would leave them scared and very shaken up.

“Inquiries to identify these men and trace the vehicle concerned are ongoing, however, there are a number of key witnesses that we still need to trace.

“The black Audi was parked outside the shop for a number of minutes both before and during the robbery and CCTV in the area shows a number of people walking past it.

“If you were one of those people then we would implore you to get in touch with police as you could have vital information.

“There were also three women in the store just minutes before the robbery. We need to speak to these women as they may have seen something suspicious.

“Extra patrols have been conducted in the area by neighbourhood officers to reassure local residents and we will continue to do everything we can to identify those responsible.”

Some of the pedestrians who walked past the car and could help the investigation are described as follows:

- A man described as Asian, aged in his mid-30s, with a receding hair line and facial stubble. He was wearing a dark blouson jacket , white t-shirt, blue and white ripped style jeans. He was stood on Fenham Road after the robbery having walked up Tamworth road with two small children.

- A woman described as white, aged in her late 30s or early 40s. She was wearing a black jacket, carrying a brown shoulder bag, grey trousers and white shoes. She walked past the premier store on Fenham Road, towards where the Audi came from.

- Two women who could have been mother and daughter. They were both white and one was aged in her late 40s with a dark jacket, blue jeans and black and white shoes. The second woman was aged in her 20s, wearing all white and pushing a buggy. They were both heading towards where the Audi came from prior to the robbery.

Police also want to speak to the occupants of a gun metal grey Nissan Almera which stopped at the junction of Fenham Road and Tamworth Road as the robbery was taking place.

If you can help, or if you have information that may help police, then contact officers on 101 quoting log 468 16/05/18 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.