A man has been arrested in connection with a robbery in Hitchin, with police now appealing for any witnesses and information.

Police officers attended the Shell petrol garage on Bedford Road, at around 3pm on Saturday, February 27 after a man reportedly threatened a member of staff into handing over cash.

The man claimed he had a gun, but no weapon was seen. The suspect then left on foot in the direction of the Westmill area.

Officers, including members of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Armed Policing Unit, attended and conducted an extensive area search.

Detective Constable Nathalia Smith, who is investigating, said: “We understand that news of this robbery will cause alarm to local residents, but please be assured that we are doing all we can to determine the circumstances around what happened.

“I’d like to reassure the community that no members of staff at the petrol garage were physically injured during the incident.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to appeal for information and any potential witnesses who have not yet come forward to speak to us.

“Were you in the Bedford Road and Redhill Road area on Saturday afternoon at around the time of the incident? Did you witness anyone acting suspiciously?

“If you were driving past the petrol station at the time and you have a dash cam fitted to your vehicle, please check the footage and get in touch with us if you think you have captured anything of note.”

If you have any information that you believe could assist police, please call 101 quoting 41/14625/21.

Alternatively you can report information online at herts.police.uk/report or use online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact. If you want to remain anonymous you can submit information via Crimestoppers at crimestoppers-uk.org.

A man who was arrested in connection with the incident has since been released under investigation while enquiries continue.