JEWELLER Joe Welch has had to ‘fend off’ robbers targeting his shop in South Street, Wellington, for the second time in eight months.

Two masked men attacked his shop on Saturday at about 3.30pm with a pickaxe and got away with watches worth ‘thousands of pounds’.

“My first concern was for the two members of staff in the shop and a customer,” said Mr Welch, 36, who has traded in the town for eight years.

“Once I had locked the door and made them safe I used a stick to prevent the men from making a bigger hole in the reinforced front window.

“In doing so my hand was cut but it looked worse at the time than it is now.”

“My staff are upset and my family are upset, and it makes you question the point of running such a shop.

“But we have had tremendous local support and I thank everyone for their kind words. We’re very grateful to them. I would like everyone to know that we are open for business.”

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We were called to reports of a robbery at a jewellers in South Street, Wellington.

“Two men wearing masks smashed the window and grabbed a number of watches and left the area in a car.

“Shortly afterwards a car was stopped in Taunton and a man was arrested – he remains in police custody. The search continues for three other men believed to have been involved.

“Anyone with information is asked to call us quoting 5218179997.”

Two cars are thought to have been involved in the robbery and both cars are thought to have been seen in Taunton earlier in the day.

Back in early December Mr Welch used the handle of a vacuum cleaner to ‘whack’ a robber who returned for a second time in the night to steal watches.