HIGH performance car owners are being put on alert over fears a gang of armed carjackers are targeting the borough.

The warning follows two violent car thefts on Monday, one in Prestwich and another in Bury, in which the offenders confronted women.

The first robbery happened at 10am in St Joseph's Avenue, Prestwich, when a 41-year-old woman parked her limited edition Ford Focus RS in the driveway of her home. As she got out, the victim was confronted by two masked men who screamed at her to hand over the keys to her £20,000 car.

One of the men was carrying a knife and, fearing for her safety, the woman threw the keys at the raiders who escaped in the electric blue car, registration number ML10 HWD.

Both men were described as white, 25-30 years old, between 5ft 9in and 6ft, and of slim build. They were wearing all black clothing and balaclavas.

The second robbery took place later that day, at 9.10pm, at a house on the Rushmere Country Park Estate, at the bottom of Gigg Lane in Bury.

On this occasion three white men wearing black balaclavas forced their way into the house and threatened a woman with a machete and a spanner.

They demanded the keys to a green Audi RS4 Quatro Estate. The woman ran away from the men and her partner came down the stairs and confronted them.

They threatened him with a wrench and the woman handed over the keys to the car. The men then drove away in the car. No-one was injured, but both the man and woman were left shaken by their ordeal.

Detective Inspector Bill Beddows, head of Bury's Robbery Unit, said: "At this stage we are not ruling out the possibility that these incidents may be linked.

"I would urge all motorists to be aware of who is around them when they are getting in or out of their vehicles.

"If people find themselves in a carjacking situation, particularly if the offenders are armed, simply hand over the keys to the cars and then contact the police immediately."

Both stolen cars have not yet been recovered.

Anyone with any further information on either of these incidents, or who may have seen the cars since they were stolen, should contact Bury police on 0161 856 8157 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.