TWO men have been arrested following an attempted robbery at a petrol station in Devizes last night.

Armed police were reported to have been involved in the hunt, which began just before 9.30pm following the incident at the Esso Garage, on The Nursery.

Police have confirmed that two men entered the garage and demanded money was handed over from the till. It is not known if staff were threatened with a weapon. The men made off with nothing and nobody in the garage was injured. but they were left shaken up.

The police helicopter was called in and officers began to search the immediate area. Two people matching the description given were spotted a short time later at The Wharf.

Police said one of the men made off, while the other – a man in his 30s from Marlborough - was arrested on suspicion of robbery and taken to Melksham custody centre.

Police enquiries continued throughout the night and at about 4.30am found and arrested another man, who is also aged in his 30s and from Devizes, who was arrested on suspicion of robbery.

Both remain in custody in Melksham for further questioning.

Det Insp Tom Straker said: “This was understandably a frightening experience for those involved and I appreciate it will no doubt cause concern amongst the local community. Officers were on scene within a matter of minutes and thanks to the descriptions given, were able to locate and arrest two individuals who we now have in custody.

“Enquiries are ongoing this morning. We believe the men entered the garage from the Waiblingen Way direction at approximately 9.20pm – if you saw or heard anything suspicious, please get in touch immediately.”

The garage was cordoned off for some time last night during the investigation.

If you can help police, call 101 and quote crime reference number 54200072799 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.