Detectives are hunting robbers who threatened staff and a customer at a village post office with a sawn-off shotgun and a crowbar.

Two masked raiders went into Great Yeldham post office, near Halstead, at 4.45pm yesterday (Thursday) and took cash. The amount is unknown.

Their getaway car, a red Vauxhall Astra, had been stolen from Colchester General Hospital. Police know the vehicles was filled with petrol between being stolen and being abandoned and have appealed for potential witnesses at filling stations to come forward.

During the robbery one of the men pointed the gun at a terrified customer and the other smashed the security screen and demanded money.

The pair abandoned the Astra in the Highfields area of the village. Postal staff and a customer were left shocked but unhurt.

Angela Falp, of Braintree CID, praised staff and customers and said: "Everyone did the right thing. The staff didn't panic and did just as the robbers said. The customers also didn't try to be heroes and did nothing to endanger anyone.

"It's obviously a distressing and serious crime especially seeing as there was a robber carrying a firearm.

"We need to speak to anyone who saw the robbery, saw the car being abandoned or saw men acting suspiciously in the Great Yeldham area during the week."

One robber is 6ft 2ins tall and wore a shiny thigh-length black coat. The other robber is 5ft 10ins tall, stocky, and wore a black bomber jacket.

Post Office spokesman Paul Diggens said counselling was available for staff.

He said: "We can't comment directly on the incident but post office staff followed all the correct procedures."

The robbery is the latest in a spate of post office raids in the Braintree area in 12 months. In February this year robbers at the post office in Panfield Lane, Braintree, brandished a baseball bat.

Anyone with information should contact Braintree CID on 01376 551312 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111

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