TWO Whitefield motorists, living just 500 yards apart, have been targeted by a gang of carjackers.

Now, detectives are appealing to the public for help after linking the incidents, which happened within minutes of each other on Monday night (May 10).

At 9.20pm a 59-year-old man returned to his home in Hillingdon Road in his Volvo S60. He pulled onto his drive and went into the house for a few seconds before getting back into his car and activating his electronic garage door.

He was about to put the keys in the ignition when two men ran towards him, shouting at him to get out of the car.

One of the men was armed with a 14-inch ratchet. The offender took hold of the man and threw him to the floor, badly injuring the 59-year-old's knee and stood over him, demanding the car keys, which he handed over. The two men got into the Volvo and sped off.

A few minutes later police received a report of an attempted car theft from a 26-year-old man in Ringley Road. As he got out of his Audi Avant, five men, all dressed in black, walked towards him while pulling balaclava masks over their faces.

As the victim shut his car door, one of the men ran at him with what has been described as an 8-inch spanner. The motorist managed to run into his house. The offenders tried to follow by smashing the window in the front door and they also smashed the side window of the car before running off towards Bury New Road.

Detective Sergeant Steve Earnshaw, who is leading the investigation, said: "These two incidents occurred within minutes of each other and the two addresses are literally around 500 yards apart so at this stage we are linking them.

"Both incidents were extremely vicious and although no one was seriously injured, there was a very real threat of violence which has left both men very shocked by what happened.

"I believe that these men were walking around the area looking for an opportunity to take any high performance car that they came across. I would like anyone who may have seen a group of men in and around the area to please contact us."

The Volvo was later recovered in Monroe Close in Irlams o'th' Height.

Call Whitefield CID on 856 4647.