Motorcycle gang caught on CCTV with £300k haul

This is the moment two men armed with axes burst into a jewellery store in the City.

Dressed in motorcycle gear and helmets, one held an axe over his head as he advanced on frightened staff in the Watches of Switzerland store in Royal Exchange.

Dramatic CCTV images show staff holding up their hands before fleeing out of the shop as the men smashed open display cabinets.

Two accomplices waited outside on high-powered motorbikes as the raiders snatched watches worth more than £300,000.

City of London Police released the images after two of the four men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery. Jed McDonald, 21, and Charlie Kavanagh, 20, are waiting to be sentenced at the Old Bailey this month.

The pair, both from Islington, were arrested after they were identified by DNA traces on clothing and motorcycle gear. The items were abandoned after a police chase following the raid in February which ended at an estate in Upper Holloway.

New figures show there were more than 10 smash-and-grab raids in Westminster alone last month - double the number in the same month last year.

Designer stores and jewellers in the West End including Anya Hindmarch, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior and Mappin & Webb have all been targeted.

Four men were recently jailed for more than 20 years for raids on the Fraser Hart jeweller's in One New Change in December last year and a robbery at De Beers and Omega in Royal Exchange last August.

Detective Inspector Glyn Whittick, of the City Police's major investigation unit, said: "We will continue to pursue these criminals to protect our community and businesses."