Thames Valley Police have released an urgent appeal after two masked men broke into a Co-op and stole a quantity of cash in the early hours of the morning.

The incident occurred around 1 am on Wednesday, August 8 at the store on Newbury Road in Hermitage.

Officers have described one of the offenders as of slim build, wearing a grey hooded jacket with black sleeves and waist, grey trousers and black shoes.

The other offender is described as an average built man, wearing a royal blue jacket with a black hood, dark trousers and black and white trainers.

Both men were wearing a face covering.

Detective Constable Calum Murray, of the West Berkshire Priority Crime Team, said: “I am appealing for anyone with information about this burglary to please get in touch.

“Also, if you have any CCTV cameras in the area or if you were driving in the area around the time and have a dash-cam, I’d also ask that you check your recordings in case they have captured something that could assist our investigation.”

Officers have said that they believe the burglary may be linked to the theft of vehicle registration plates on Malthouse Close in Thatcham on the evening of Tuesday, August 6.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “I am appealing to anyone who may have witnessed any potentially similar persons acting suspiciously in the area of Malthouse Close that night to come forward, including with any CCTV or dashcam footage you may have captured.

“I urge anyone with information or footage to contact us by calling 101 or via our website, quoting reference number 43240376972.

“Alternatively, you can report information completely anonymously to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.

“We take retail crime seriously as we know how much it impacts business owners and staff so we will investigate this burglary thoroughly.”