A robber carrying two bricks smashed a glass panel and stole controlled drugs in a raid on a Manchester pharmacy, police have said.

The woman “posed as a potential customer” when she entered Westpoint Pharmacy in Burnage shortly after 8am on Sunday (August 23), Greater Manchester Police said. She asked the pharmacist for a prescription “which could not be found”, police said.

The woman left the premises and returned “a short time later” carrying two bricks. She smashed a panel in the consultation room and stole two packets of “high-strength" painkillers dihydrocodeine and diazepam, police said. She then “made off” down nearby Slade Lane, they added.

The robber is described as white, aged between 35 and 40, around 5' 1" tall, with a "medium build" and dark, shoulder-length hair, police said. She spoke with a Manchester accent and wore a black, thigh-length, waterproof hooded coat with black jeans and dark footwear, they added.

Police constable Neil Ross warned the robber and the public that the stolen drugs should only be taken “under strict guidelines” and carried a “serious risk of harm”. Anyone who is offered the drugs should call 999 immediately, he stressed.

Anyone with any information relating to the incident should call the police on 0161 856 4973 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, police added.

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