Police are appealing for information following the armed robbery of a bowling club at Jesmond, near Newcastle, this morning.

About 12:25am (Sunday 2 June 2013), three men wearing balaclavas forced entry into the club on Mordue Parade, which had just closed.

The men, armed with a knife, baseball bat and a wooden club, confronted the barman and two patrons as they were about to leave the premises.

The trio threatened the barman and two patrons stealing one of the men’s wallets.

All three ran into a nearby shopping centre car park where they were chased by a security guard and his dog but were able to evade capture.

Police were called to the club and established a crime scene which was examined by specialist forensic officers.

Detectives from Newcastle City Local Area Command are now investigating the armed robbery and urge anyone with information about the robbery to contact police.