THREE men have been arrested during a series of dawn raids following armed robberies in Bolton and Salford.

In the early hours of today, around 80 officers from Bolton and Salford executed 10 search warrants at addresses across Greater Manchester.

The action was part of Operation Botany, which is jointly run by Salford Crescent and Bolton Central CID officers, and also took place in Salford, Clifton, Prestwich, Whitefield and Cheetham Hill.

A 26-year-old and a 19-year-old, both from Salford and a 32-year-old from Clifton have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and are due to be questioned by detectives later today.

The robberies being investigated include one at Kearsley Post Office on January 31st.

As the post master and mistress were driving to work, a man who had been hiding in the back of their car jumped up and threatened them with a knife.

The couple were then forced to pull over on to the hard shoulder where a second man climbed into the car from another vehicle which had pulled in behind them.

They were told to drive on to the post office, but shortly before they arrived, they were forced into a different car.

The first man who was armed with a knife and the second man, who then produced a gun, forced the couple to open the safe at the post office and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Other robberies investigated by the team include one at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Little Lever on 11th September and one at Cromwell Bridge Post Office in Salford in June.