TWO men have been arrested in a swoop police believe may be linked to a series of Darlington knife-point robberies.

The men, aged 25 and 30, were stopped near the Co-op store in North Road, Darlington, at 9pm on Wednesday, and were found to have a knife and CS spray with them.

The pair - one from Darlington, the other from Newton Aycliffe - were arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery, and were still being questioned last night at Darlington police station.

Police said they were looking into whether the arrests could be linked to some of the nine robberies across Darlington borough in recent weeks, during which more than £1,000 was stolen at knife-point from late-night shops.

Detective Inspector Dave Wilkes, from Darlington CID, said: "We are looking into whether there is a link - it is something that cannot be ruled out at this stage, in relation to the recent spate of robberies across Darlington.

"We are, as yet, in the early stages of that investigation."

Five of the robberies were in the North Road area of the town, two in the Eastbourne area, one in Cockerton and one in the village of Heighington.

All have taken place between 8pm and 11pm.

Stores across the borough have been urged to be vigilant since the first raid, on January 14, when Bargain Booze, in Yarm Road, Darlington was targeted.

Two days later, £200 was taken from Sharmans Newsagents, in North Road.

Within hours on January 18, Noaman's Store, in Brook Terrace, and the Cockerton Pizza Hut were raided, although no knife was shown at Pizza Hut.

Stores in Olympic Street, where more than £500 was stolen, and Corporation Road were also targeted.

Det Insp Wilkes reiterated appeals for vigilance and said that robberies of this nature were rare in Darlington.

He urged stores across the borough to ensure that their closed-circuit television cameras were working.

Anyone with information about any of the robberies can contact Darlington police on 0845 60 60 365.