DETECTIVES investigating an armed robbery that took place at a Basingstoke convenience store on Hallowe'en are appealing for two potential witnesses to come forward.

Police believe the male and female customers, who left minutes before a hold-up at Alldays, in Anstey Close, may have vital information about the robbers.

The incident occurred at about 9.20pm last Thursday when two men - one wearing a mask like the one made infamous by the film trilogy Scream, and the other in a skeleton mask - threatened staff with a handgun, before making off with £200-worth of cigarettes and hundreds of pounds in cash.

As the robbers fled from the shop along a nearby path towards Foyle Park, they were joined by a third man, who waited outside the shop in a hooded top.

The first customer the police are hoping to trace is a man who purchased a newspaper.

The second is a young woman who bought a four-pack of Foster's lager.

Both made their purchases at about 9.15pm.

Police have released descriptions of the men wanted in connection with the robbery.

The man wearing the skeleton mask is described as 6ft 1ins and the robber wearing the Scream mask is 5ft 6ins tall.

Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to contact Basingstoke CID on 0845 045 45 45.