Motorbike gang in daylight raid on Oxford St jewellers

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The robbers escaped with tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and watches after the attack on the Leslie Davis shop in Oxford Street.

The gang's decision to wait until the jewellers opened before carrying out the raid marks a worrying new tactic.

In the past they have struck at night using sledgehammers to smash windows but the attempts have often failed because of tough security shutters. Today's attack is the latest in a series on smash-and-grabs in the West End including one at Dolce & Gabbana in Old Bond Street last month.

Two of the gang of four entered the store just after it opened at 10am, threatening the manager with a sledgehammer before breaking display cases and grabbing jewellery and watches.

A 33-year-old witness who asked not to be named, said: "Four men on two bikes entered Oxford Street from a back alley, rode up the pavement and sent people scattering in all directions.

"Two got off the bikes and it took them quite a bit of effort to get through the windows and the whole thing took about four minutes."

He added: "They looked like they took a lot of jewellery, which was loaded into sports holdalls, and left a sledgehammer on the ground as they escaped.

"They took a lot of swings to get through the windows and I heard the store manager say afterwards that no one had ever managed that before.

"The whole time the getaway drivers faced the bikes west up Oxford Street and revved the engines to scare people away. As they rode off, one of the drivers popped a wheelie. It was very well choreographed." Gaz Eighteen, manager of Schuh, opposite Leslie Davis, said a customer fled the jewellers in terror and sat shaking in his shop .

He said: "I could hear motorbikes revving, it was very loud, but I thought it was more protesters about the Westminster parking charges.

"We saw a commotion outside the jewellers. A customer then came out of the jewellers looking really frightened and she ran over the road into our shop. I asked her if she was okay but she just sat in the corner shaking."

Police said it was fortunate that no customers or staff had been hurt.