Three armed robbers are on the run after holding up a Colchester shop with a shotgun.

Crime scene - the convenience store in Hunwicke Road, Greenstead, which was held up by three armed raiders. (40167-b)

The masked men went into the One Stop shop in Hunwicke Road, Greenstead, holding the gun, a piece of wood and a mechanic's tool.

They demanded cash from the till, grabbed money and mobile phone cards, and fled, leaving six women who were in the shop traumatised.

The robbers ran off towards Stanley Wooster Way and police launched a search of the area using armed officers and search dogs.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "This looks as if it was a calculated attack.

"However, with the fairly recognisable descriptions we have obtained from witnesses, these three men should be known to their friends and family and we hope that they come forward with information."

The robbers were all described as white and about 6ft tall, wearing balaclavas.

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Published Tuesday, December 21, 2004

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