Two armed robbers have been caught on camera using a sledgehammer and an axe to try and smash their way into a jewellery shop . The raiders were foiled by a brave employee who barricaded the door to the premises , and they proceeded to flee on a motorbike . A passer-by captured photographs of the two criminals , and police have now appealed for the public to help them identify the offenders . Raid : One of two robbers who used a sledgehammer and an axe to try and break in to a jewellery shop . The attempted break-in took place in Pemberton , a suburb of Wigan in Greater Manchester , on Saturday afternoon . One of the raiders used a sledgehammer to smash through an internal wooden door and the other used a axe to smash security glass at Uncle Jewellers and Pawn Brokers . When a worker barricaded the door and pushed one of them back through the broken window they fled the scene , threatening a member of the public with the axe as they did so . Greater Manchester Police are now investigating whether the incident is linked to a similar break-in at another Wigan jeweller last week , which also involved a motorbike and a sledgehammer . Getaway : The two criminals used motorbikes to escape from the scene in Wigan , Greater Manchester . Detective Sergeant Pete Carletti said : 'This attempted robbery happened in broad daylight on a busy Saturday afternoon in Pemberton town centre . 'It caused a lot of commotion and I have no doubt there are lots of potential witnesses who saw what happened and could have vital information for us . 'We have obtained a large number of names of members of the public present in the area at the relevant time but I would ask for those people who have not yet spoken to police to contact us . 'The shop worker showed incredible bravery in the face of adversity to hold these two thieves back and I would like to commend them for their actions . Vehicle : One of the motorcycles used by the raiders , who were caught on camera by a bystander . ' I would also like to thank the member of the public who was brave enough to take photos of the offenders , although we would obviously never advise people to put themselves in danger to do so in any similar situation . 'We now need to find those responsible so I would again urge anyone who witnessed this appalling attempted robbery to come forward . ' Anyone with information about the raid should call police on 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 .
Two raiders tried to attack a jewellery shop in Wigan , Greater Manchester . The raid was foiled by the owner who shot one raider dead and wounded another.