POLICE say that two men who stole food from a Co-op store claimed to have syringes in their pocket.

Ward constable PC Rob Jackson said no-one was actually threatened with the syringes at the store in Luton road at Chatham. But as they left the store, one said “Don’t come near - we’ve got syringes in our pockets.”

He said that the men had taken a quantity of meat. Although no-one had been threatened, and no violence had been used, three female staff had felt intimidated.

A spokesman for the Co-operative Group said: “We can confirm an incident occurred at our Luton Road store in Chatham on Wednesday evening when two males entered the store, stole a quantity of goods and intimidated staff.

“The safety of our staff and customers is of the highest importance and we are working with police on this matter who have been supplied with CCTV footage. As with any incident like this, the Co-op is reviewing security at the store and a security guard is on duty.”

* In February, a woman was threatened with a syringe after she withdrew money from a cash machine in Rochester High Street. Last November, a man was stabbed in the arm in a suspected attack with a syringe near Priestfield Stadium in Gillingham.