POLICE believe that an unmasked woman may hold the key to finding those responsible for the Broadstone armed robbery this week.

Detectives say CCTV cameras inside Forum Jewellers on the Broadway captured the robbery in progress and officers spent yesterday trawling footage from the scene and nearby to find clues for who carried out the daylight attack.

Senior investigating officer DI Neil Phillips said they are looking at several lines of inquiry including whether the woman distracted staff before or during the robbery, as reported by witnesses. The robbers struck at 10.55am on Tuesday at the family-run jewellers when four masked men and an unmasked woman went to the shop.

The men were all wearing dark clothing, hoods and had their faces covered with scarves. The woman was wearing what has been described as “normal clothes”.

Staff at the jewellers reported that one man was armed with a gun and two with hammers which were used to smash cabinets in the shop.

DI Phillips said: “A number of items were taken but we don’t yet know the value or how many items. We do have CCTV footage of the incident taking place and this is being reviewed. We don’t know whether a woman has gone in there with the intention to distract but this is one of our many lines of enquiry.”

DI Phillips said extensive forensic work was carried out at the scene and an abandoned Chrysler the offenders arrived in.

Officers will be contacting other police forces to establish whether any similar incidents have taken place elsewhere in the country.

Following the robbery four men and one woman were seen to leave the scene in a dark coloured Chrysler, abandon it in Lytham Road and run to Wallace Road where they got into a light blue coloured car. The blue car was then seen heading towards the Darby’s corner roundabout.

Police would like anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information to call them in confidence on 101 quoting incident number 11/133.

WORKERS and shoppers in Broadstone have been getting over the shock of witnessing the robbery.

Forum Jewellers remained closed yesterday morning and a note on the door said the shop would be shut “until we can open safely”. The note also stated that no “customer items” were taken from the premises during the raid.

Witnesses told how police had been asking about the woman involved, whom it is believed may have gone into the jewellers before the four men entered wearing balaclavas.

One shop worker, who asked not to be named, said: “A customer told me that a woman went in first and dropped a set of keys as a distraction before the men in balaclavas rushed in. It’s so surprising for Broadstone.”

David Hardwick, estate agent at Goadsby, said police had asked his colleagues if they had seen a woman who may have been involved in the crime.

He did not remember seeing a woman but said: “I saw the guys with balaclavas on come out of the shop before they jumped in the Chrysler and sped off.

“Afterwards we saw the staff lock the doors from inside and they didn’t come out until the police arrived.”