A £25,000 watch was stolen during an armed robbery in Hale.

The homeowner, a man in his 70s, was sitting in his living room in Park Drive when he heard glass smashing at approximately 8.50pm on Wednesday, November 28.

Within seconds, three men stormed the house and demanded his car keys and his watch ­— a £25,000 solid gold Submariner Rolex.

One of the robbers then pushed the victim to the floor and held a machete to him while continuing to shout the demands.

They took the watch and fled leaving the victim bruised on the floor.

Despite house-to-house inquiries and forensic work, officers still haven’t identified the culprits and are appealing for information.

Detective Constable Luke Dearing, of Stretford CID, said: “We believe these men may have knocked on other doors that night prior to the crime being committed.

“On this occasion they were brazen enough to smash a window before entering the house. I’m just grateful the victim wasn’t seriously hurt.

“They stole a very distinctive watch and I’d appeal to anyone who has been offered a gold Rolex, or has any information about it, to contact me or Crimestoppers.”

Anyone with any information should call CID on 0161 856 7525 quoting incident number 2210 of 28 November 2018.

Information can be passed on anonymously by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.