Masked raid knife terror at Guilden Sutton post office

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 02 Oct 2012, 15:10

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A VILLAGE post office near Chester was robbed at knifepoint by a masked man.

Police are hunting the raider who burst into the post office in Guilden Sutton before demanding cash from the female shop assistant.

The robbery happened at about 10am yesterday.

His face was hidden by a balaclava and he is believed to have fled on foot after the assistant handed over cash.

Police officers scoured the area and called in the force helicopter to search for the robber but he managed to escape.

Christine Royle, sub-postmistress at the Summerfield Road post office, said the female assistant was left shaken and upset by her ordeal.

She said: “I was not working at the time but my colleague was in the post office when the man came in.

“He had a knife and was wearing a balaclava and was very aggressive. He was demanding money and showing my colleague the knife.

“He got away with some money and the staff are very shaken up by what happened. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

“We closed for the rest of the day because the staff needed to go home and recover.”

Cllr Stuart Parker, who represents Chester Villages, expressed his shock at the robbery.

He said: “I am appalled to hear about this. Rural post offices are often off the beaten track and there is always a fear they could be open to robberies like this.

“I know they put security measures in place but things like this are always very shocking.”

Cheshire Police spokesman George Perfitt said: “Police are appealing for witnesses following a robbery which took place in Guilden Sutton.

“At about 10.02am yesterday officers responded to reports that a lone man had entered the post office on Summerfield Road armed with a knife before fleeing the scene shortly afterwards.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting incident number 230 of October 1.