Employee Threatened During Merewether Armed Robbery

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are searching for two men over an armed robbery on a Merewether service station last night.

The pair entered the service station on Watkins Street just after 9.30 - one of them was armed with a metal pole.

They threatened the 25-year-old service station attendant, demanding cash and cigarettes.

Police says the employee complied and the pair ran off towards The Junction.

One of the men has been described as Caucasian in appearance and aged in his mid twenties with a medium build and about 185cm tall.

He was wearing dark long pants with a dark jacket, a black beanie and had a red cloth covering his face and was armed with a metal bar.

The second man has been described as Caucasian in appearance and aged in his mid twenties with a medium build and about 175cm tall.

He was wearing grey long pants with a black hooded jumper and he had a black and grey cloth covering his face.

The employee was not injured during the incident and police are appealing for information as they search for the culprits.

Merewether Unit Guttered In Early Morning Fire

BY IAN CROUCH

Fire has guttered a unit at Merewether.

Newcastle Fire Command received several triple-oh calls just after 2.00am on Wednesday to a 3 storey unit complex in Watkins Street,  with crews arriving to find a ground floor unit well alight.

It's taken firefighters from Merewether and Newcastle about an hour to extinguish the flames.

The male occupant managed to escape unharmed, but the unit and it's contents were destroyed, leaving him homeless.

Around 50 residents were evacuated - they've since been allowed to return to their units.

It's believed the fire started on the balcony where a motorbike and bike parts were stored.

Police have set up a crime scene as investigations continue.

Drugs and weapons found at Merewether home

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man will face Newcastle Local Court in August on drug and weapons charges after his home was searched in Merewether.

Officers executed a search warrant yesterday just before 9am at the Watkins Street address.

Police found various drugs, firearms, prohibited weapons, cash and credit cards which they seized.

A 25-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Newcastle Police Station where he was charged with goods in custody, two counts of supply prohibited drug, two counts of possess prohibited drug, possess restricted substance, two counts of possess unauthorised pistol and three counts of possess unauthorised weapon.

He was granted conditional bail and will appear at court on 31st August.