TWO men have been arrested following an armed robbery at a shop last night.

Officers were on patrol near to the Co-operative Store on Warrington Road, Prescot at around 9.55pm, when they saw a man outside the shop, armed with what they believed to be a knife.

The man got into a black Audi estate and a short police pursuit followed. The Audi came to a stop near Taylor Park, St Helens.

An extensive search of the area led to one man being found underneath a bin in the garden of a house and the other was found in another garden nearby.

Police later made two arrests.

The two men arrested, a 25-year-old man from Speke and a 31-year-old man from Everton, were taken to a police station on Merseyside where they are being questioned by detectives on suspicion of robbery.

Enquiries carried out by officers also resulted in a large quantity of cigarettes being found in a bedsheet near the shop, along with a quantity of cash.

Area Commander for Knowsley, Chief Superintendent Mark Harrison, said: "A large number of officers responded to this incident, including the neighbourhood patrol officers whose vigilance and prompt actions near the shop prompted a wider response, including air support and dog patrols, who conducted a thorough search of a wide area around Taylor Park.

"I'd like to commend their excellent team work, which resulted in two men being arrested on suspicion of robbery."