A PAIR of knife-wielding, masked robbers preyed on West Oxfordshire shops during a week-long crime spree, stealing cash and threatening violence on store staff, a court heard.

Prosecutors allege that during some of the armed robberies staff were told if they didn't hand over the money the men would set the shops on fire.

Daniel Gell, 49, of Eastfield Road, Witney, and Christopher Wain, 41, of Richens Drive, Carterton, both deny two counts of robbery as well as two counts of having a bladed article.

Wain denies a further count of attempted robbery.

As their trial at Oxford Crown Court began yesterday prosecutor Anthony Heaton-Armstrong told jurors that ,working together, the pair had targeted three shops in West Oxfordshire between February 27 and March 6 2016.

The robberies took place first at Eynsham's Co-Op before Witney's Tesco Express was hit two days later, followed the next week by an attempt to rob Betfred in Witney on March 6.

Jurors were told that during the night-time robberies the men - wearing balaclavas and carrying knives, demanded cash before threats of violence were made against members of staff.

Mr Heaton-Armstrong said: "The case concerns three armed robberies of commercial properties, branches of the Co-Op, Tesco, Betfred, within a small geographic area of Oxfordshire

"During these robberies the victims of them were threatened with knives and inflammable liquids and the offenders wore face coverings, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the victims to identify them."

In the first two incidents, the court heard, they had stolen nearly £1,000 from the stores before fleeing the scene.

The court went on to hear that witnesses had seen the pair escape the scene of each robbery in what was described in court as a Ford Fiesta with a damaged nearside light.

Mr Heaton-Armstrong told jurors that Gell's car, a Ford Focus, was found to have a malfunctioning nearside light after the pair were arrested by police, shortly after Wain attempted to rob a betting shop.

Speaking of the roles of the two men Mr Heaton-Armstrong said: "Wain was the brains, in inverted comma's, behind what was going on.

"He was using Gell as a lieutenant, someone to help him. If it had not been for Wain these incidents would not have happened at all probably."

Police later discovered items discarded by the men shortly before their arrest, jurors were told, including a make-shift balaclava which was found to have the DNA of one of the men on it.

'Cell site data' - used to track the locations of mobile phones, was also analysed by police, the court heard, which showed that the men were in the vicinity of each of the incidents at the time they were allegedly committed. Mr Heaton-Armstrong said that neither of them men could offer an alibi for their whereabouts.

At police interview, jurors went on to hear, both men denied any involvement in the robberies and Wain denied ever being at the Betfred in the attempted robbery.

The trial - expected to last seven days, continues.