MOPED thieves carrying knives robbed a Tesco Express in Swiss Cottage last night (Wednesday).

Police were called to the branch in Belsize Road at around 6:20pm and found that two men wearing crash helmets had threatened staff and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Armed officers were scrambled to the scene, after reports that one of the men was carrying a gun. Nobody was injured in the robbery, police said.

Officers have closed off a second crime scene in nearby Byron Court, where they found “believed to be linked” to the robbery.

It follows a series of similar raids in December, in which two suspects, riding a moped and armed with knives, targeted two stores in quick succession.