The raid happened shortly before 9pm on Saturday at Coral, in Grange Road, Jarrow.

A man wearing a hoodie, with a scarf covering his face, burst into the premises, jumped over the counter and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Two women workers were uninjured but left shaken by the ordeal.

Police say the robber escaped on foot with a woman in the direction of the Jarrow Crusader pub.

Detectives are now keen to trace a man and woman seen outside the bookmakers just before the robbery.

The man was aged 16 to 19, slim, between 5ft 5in and 5ft 8in, clean shaven with dark hair.

He was wearing a dark nylon sports jacket with a hooded top underneath, dark Adidas tracksuit bottoms with three stripes down to the knee, dark socks pulled over his tracksuit bottoms and white plimsoll-type trainers.

The woman was also between 16 and 19, slim, between 5ft 5in and 5ft 8in, with dark hair.

She was wearing a light or beige jacket and denim bootcut jeans. She was carrying a bag with a strap worn from her left shoulder across her body to her right side.

They were seen walking from Ellison Street before the robbery took place.

Detectives are appealing for anyone with information about the robbery, or whether the pair who fled the scene then used public transport, to contact them.

The robbery comes days after Pagebet in Dean Road, South Shields, was targeted in a similar attack.

A man armed with a silver hammer threatened staff before escaping with cash on Tuesday.

Acting Detective Inspector Phil Cleugh said: "Both incidents are still being investigated and at the moment they are not being linked, however, we continue to keep an open mind."

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact police on (03456) 043 043.