An axe attack on a supermarket and armed police surrounding a restaurant was among a wild night of crime in Christchurch overnight.

Christchurch police were kept busy by the spree of crimes as eight shops were targeted across the city,

A New World supermarket in Wigram was broken into by an offender using an axe, in another armed police surrounded a restaurant.

The New World supermarket in Wigram was attacked with an axe overnight. Photo / Nathan Morton

The incidents began at Cranford Ale House in St Albans, when armed police responded to reports of a robbery just after 9pm.

Nobody was injured during the robbery. Photo / George Heard

Police said nobody was injured during the break-in, some officers - some armed “as a precaution” - made inquiries in the area after the incident.

At 3.30am, police were alerted to an incident on SkyHawk Rd in Wigram after reports came in of an offender using an axe to break into a local supermarket.

Less than an hour later, a store in Chappie Pl in Hornby roughly three kilometres away was broken into and 10 minutes after that, there was a ram raid on nearby Carmen Rd.

The offenders had failed to enter the shop, according to police. A fog cannon activated when the offenders attempted to breach the entrance.

A second attempted ram raid was then reported on Main South Rd, where a technology shop was hit around 4.40am.

Then at 5am, four offenders used a car to attempt a ram raid at a business on Moorhouse Ave in the central city.

At the same time, Christchurch police were also alerted to a break-in at The Runway in Wigram, followed an hour later by a break-in at a Fish and Chip shop and neighbouring hair salon on Lillian St in Halswell.

So far, only one person has been apprehended after he was seen by a patrol unit jumping a fence on Halswell Rd.

The “young man” was located with items of interest and was taken into custody.

“Police are working with business owners to establish what has been stolen and are reviewing CCTV footage,” a spokesperson said.

“An examination will also be carried out on a vehicle left at the scene of the attempted ram raid on Main South Rd.”