POLICE have released shocking footage of the moment two men bag thousands of cigarettes in an armed robbery.

The CCTV video clips were taken at the Esso Denbrook Petrol Station, on Tong Street, last February.

Two men - one of whom is 38-year-old Scott Howley - can be seen sifting through a large box filled to the brim with cigarettes, before another clip shows one of the individuals bagging up the packets.

At one point in the first clip, one of the men looks to pull the sliding door open on a covered display shelf behind the store counter.

Prior to this, the suspects had entered the petrol station and threatened a long-serving staff member with a knife.

Howley, proceeded to tie the shop assistant to a chair with cable ties.

Both Howley and his accomplice got away with thousands of pounds worth of stock, including cigarettes and alcohol, as well as cash, in the end.

West Yorkshire Police are still working to find the second suspect, but Howley was identified following a number of specialist enquiries by forensic scientists and later arrested and charged.

The force announced today that the 38-year-old, who is from Holme Wood, was sentenced to five years in prison at Bradford Crown Court last Wednesday (February 2), for his part in the armed robbery.