THREE people have been arrested in connection with three armed robberies at shops.

A 29-year-old man, a man aged 36 and a 30-year-old woman have all been arrested on suspicion of robbery after a report of an armed robbery at the Co-op store in Coppice Avenue, Eastbourne, on Tuesday.

Staff and customers were threatened by a man armed with a hammer and taser who then demanded money.

Police are linking this incident with two other robberies in the town, one at the One Stop store in Winston Crescent on February 1 and the other at McColls Store in Holly Place on Sunday.

In each incident a man went into the shops and demanded cash from the staff.

During the incident at One Stop, he was armed with a knife and in the second one he had a claw hammer.

Detective Inspector Gavin Patch said: "We were able to quickly arrest three suspects in connection with these robberies last night.

"We are still appealing for witnesses to all three robberies and would like to hear from anyone who has any information."

All three who were arrested remain in custody.

If you have any information which could help the investigation, you can contact police online or call 101 quoting Operation Vacation.