Two men were in custody tonight in connection with a spate of armed robberies across Oxford.

Police pounced after a bus driver was threatened at knifepoint on Thursday evening as he pulled over at a bus stop in Northway, Barton.

The robber climbed on to the Oxford Bus Company number 8 bus armed with a knife and fled with cash.

Minutes later police arrested two men, aged 27 and 53, at a nearby house in Brome Place on the Barton estate.

Both were taken to St Aldate’s police station to be quizzed about the knifepoint robbery and six other robberies and burglaries in the Headington area over the past two weeks.

Det Insp Simon Morton, of Oxford CID, said: “Following the arrests we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the five other robberies that have taken place at premises in Headington.

“We will be continuing with high visibility patrols in Headington to provide reassurance to retailers and the public.”

Louisa Weeks, operations manager at Oxford Bus Company, said no one was injured in the robbery.

She added: “There was an incident on the Barton estate.

“There were no passengers on the bus and the driver was unharmed, but shocked by the incident.

“We are helping police with their investigations.

“There was excellent CCTV coverage on the bus and that has been given to the police.”

Police are linking the knife-point bus robbery with two armed robberies at BetFred bookmakers in London Road.

The first happened on December 29 and the second on January 3.

They are also connecting it with a raid at Lloyds TSB in London Road on January 5, when a man wielding an Uzi-style gun stole £1,000.

Two robberies at Threshers off-licence in Old High Street, on January 4 and December 29, and a burglary at BetFred on December 23, are also being linked.

However, police are not connecting the spate with a series of six gunpoint robberies on two buses in Wheatley and Headington, of a taxi driver in Northway and of female motorists in Stanton St John and Summertown last month.

Two other men have been arrested and released on bail for the raids.

Earlier this week, Det Chief Insp Colin Paine, head of Oxford priority crime, described the spate of armed robberies as “worrying”.

Two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, are on bail for an armed robbery at the Tasty House takeaway in Cinnaminta Road, Headington.

mwilkinson@oxfordmail.co.uk