DETECTIVES believe the same man may be responsible for armed raids at two shops in Ramsgate within a day of each other. On both occasions shopkeepers were threatened with a handgun.

In the first incident, on Wednesday, a man walked into a florist shop in Grange Road at about 2.35pm and asked about buying flowers.

As the woman shopkeeper bent down to get wrapping paper, the raider told her he was robbing her and pulled out a black pistol, believed to be an imitation.

He cocked the gun and asked her to open the till. She refused saying it was locked.

The robber then attempted to open it by banging it. The shopkeeper told him to go and escorted him from the shop.

At the entrance he asked her if he could have the flowers he had requested but she refused. He then walked off towards the seafront and turned right onto St Mildreds Road.

The raider is white, aged 26-32, about 5ft 5in tall, thin, clean shaven and with dark brown collar-length hair. His face was gaunt with dark rings around his eyes.

The man was wearing a pale denim baseball cap, a dark coloured zipped-up jogging top, black trousers, a belt and trainers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Claire Walker on 01843 222145.

Police are linking the incident to another at Ledingham Grocers in Ramsgate's Hereson Road at 10.15am the previous day. A man went in and pointed what appeared to be a small black handgun at the shopkeeper, demanding money.

The woman opened the till and the robber took a small sum of cash before leaving. It is understood he walked along Hereson Road towards Ramsgate town centre at a busy time.

Motorists and passers-by who may have spotted him or anyone who knows him is asked to contact DC Ron Beck at Margate Police Station on 01843 222138 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.