Watches worth an estimated £1m have been stolen during a robbery in Manchester city centre.

Greater Manchester Police have released CCTV footage of the robbery, which shows three masked men wearing high visibility jackets and trousers entering Selfridges, on Exchange Square, when the store was still open.

The offenders smashed display cabinets using an axe and crowbars and stole approximately 100 watches, including brands like Audermars Piguet, Jaeger le Coultre, Hublot and Cartier.

They escaped in a Black Mercedes Benz driven by a fourth offender and the car was found abandoned on Robert Street a short time later.

Detective Constable Adam Cronshaw said: "This was a brazen robbery while the store was open and busy with members of the public.

"It was clearly well planned and executed. These men were in and out in less than 80 seconds and were very particular about the watches they selected.

"The offenders will, at some point, undoubtedly look to off load these watches and I would urge people to be mindful of this robbery and again if anyone is approached with a view to buying any of these items to please contact us."