Two men who carried out a string of "terrifying" supermarket robberies to steal cash and cigarettes have been jailed.

Daniel Valentine, of Orchard Lane, East Hendred, and Damien Jackson, of Southampton, targeted nine convenience shops across the south of England — including three Co-op stores in South Oxfordshire.

Oxford Crown Court yesterday heard the pair burst into the shops demanding cash before threatening staff, jumping over the counter and grabbing cash from the tills.

Peter Coombe, prosecuting, said the pair targeted Co-ops in Steventon, Wootton and Lostock Place, Didcot, as well as shops in High Wycombe, Wokingham and Hampshire.

He said they raided the Co-op in Steventon at about 6pm on January 20 this year, when Valentine pretended to be a customer while Jackson entered the store with an accomplice who is still on the run.

He told the court: "The shop assistant claimed they came into her shop and asked her to open the tills. When she refused to do that, one of them threatened to jump over the counter and hit her."

Jackson went behind the counter and tried to grab the till. The pair fled empty-handed before stealing £281 from the Co-op in Wootton 40 minutes later in a similar robbery.

Jackson was arrested later that night in The Vine Inn, Cumnor, after bar staff called police because he was acting suspiciously.

Valentine admitted robbing a shop in Swindon, which he asked the court to take into consideration when sentencing, after spotting himself on the BBC programme Crimewatch.

Gary Pons, defending Valentine, said: "This is an offence that doesn't include any weapons being produced."

Ben Narain, defending Jackson, said: "He has expressed remorse for being involved in these quite serious offences."

Valentine, 28, was jailed for three years and one month after admitting six robberies, an attempted robbery and taking a vehicle without consent.

Jackson, 22, was jailed for 18 months after admitting four robberies, one attempted robbery and two charges of taking a vehicle without consent.

Jailing the pair, Mr Recorder Richard Prior said: "The robberies were conducted in a threatening and intimidating manner and undoubtedly you terrified the predominantly female shop assistants who were involved."

Speaking after the case, Dc Ian Leese, of Thames Valley Police, said: "Convenience stores were targeted because they were regarded as easy targets.

"The staff were mainly female and during the robberies were put in fear of harm — although in most cases this did not happen."

The jury in the trial of four men accused of a series of security van raids, including one in Oxford, will continue considering its verdict tomorrow.

The men are on trial at Kingston Crown Court, in Surrey, accused of 18 raids, including one on HSBC in Banbury Road, Summertown, in November 2006, when a man stole a cash box from a security guard.

Terrence Wallace, 26, Adrian Johnson, 28, Leroy Wilkinson, 29, and Victor Iniodu, 34, all from South London, deny conspiracy to rob.