A MAN wearing a balaclava and armed with a handgun has gone on a robbery spree targeting three shops in the Glasgow area in less than two hours.

Police believe the same suspect is responsible for the armed robberies on Saturday night, one of which he botched when staff refused to hand over cash. 

He first targeted a PBH superstore in Maryhill's Sandbank Street at 8.10 pm.

He presented a handgun and demanded money from a staff member. A small three-figure sum of money was taken before the man left the store.

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A second incident took place in nearby Ruchill at around 9.15 pm when a man entered a Shop Smart store on 355 Bilsland Drive and again presented a handgun to members of staff who refused to hand over any cash. The suspect left empty-handed.

Around 9.45 pm, a third incident took place at the Scotmid Convenience Store on South Mains Road, Milngavie. A handgun was again presented to staff and the man left with an unknown sum of money.

Officers believe that the same suspect is involved in all three incidents.

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He is described as between 5ft 8 inches and 5ft 10in tall, of slim to medium build and was wearing a black jacket with the hood up, a balaclava covering his face, black jogging bottoms, and white trainers.

Detective Sergeant Neil Guy of Glasgow’s Robbery Unit said: “Thankfully no one has been injured as a result of these robberies and attempted robberies.

“Each of the staff members has been left evidently shaken and there are additional patrols in the area for the time being.

“We believe that this man is responsible for the three incidents and I would urge anyone who witnessed someone matching this description, or someone acting suspicious in any of the three areas, to get in contact with police.

“I would also ask any drivers that may have dashcam footage that could assist with our investigation to get in touch.”

Police Scotland can be contacted by calling 101 and quoting incident number 3289 of Saturday 11 January 2020.