TERROR AS GANG RAIDS POST OFFICE

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]Armed PO robbery at Syston

10:30 - 26 January 2008

A gang of masked men armed with a gun and baseball bats held up a post office in a terrifying raid.

The robbers shouted at customers to lie on the floor during the raid yesterday afternoon, witnesses said.

At least one of the men stood guard at the entrance of the building, brandishing a baseball bat.

As the gang fled, it is believed that two women motorists tried to block the path of their getaway car with their own vehicles, but the robbers rammed them out of the way.

The gang struck at the post office in High Street, Syston, at about 4pm.

Police said one of the robbers was carrying what was believed to be a firearm, while three others had baseball bats.

The gang escaped with an undisclosed sum of cash.

One witness, a 25-year-old man who was passing at the time, said: "We saw these man in balaclavas run into the post office, and then there was a lot of shouting.

"The customers seemed to be being made to get down on the floor.

"Even though we were just passing on the street outside and not in the post office, it was really scary. I had my six-year-old niece with me. She was terrified and was crying.

"There was a guy blocking the door, he had a baseball bat and was glaring at us.

"We ran into the butchers to get them to call the police. But this man was still looking at us. That was quite frightening."

A woman, aged 59, also saw the robbers run into the store.

She said: "We heard them shout at the people inside to get down on the floor. It was quite terrifying. We could see the guy with the baseball bat from outside."

Another witness, who had come into Syston from Queniborough to use the post office, said: "I was about two shops away when I heard someone demanding money, then I saw the baseball bat and the guy in the doorway.

"I ran into the estate agents to get them to call the police, and when I came back out, it was all over. They must only have been there for a matter of seconds.

"There were two women who had tried to block their car in, but their vehicles were just rammed out of the way. One woman was shaking when she told me about it - she had kids with her as well."

Police said the men had parked in Upper Church Street before walking to the post office.

After the robbery, they made their getaway in a red vehicle. As it sped away, it hit two other cars, but nobody was hurt.

A Leicestershire Police spokesman said: "Two masked men entered the post office, while two other masked men waited at the door. The two inside the post office threatened staff before escaping with a quantity of cash.

"No one was hurt during the incident.

"The investigation is in its early stages and detectives are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or recalls seeing a red car leaving the scene, to contact them."

A spokeswoman for Post Office Ltd said: "This has obviously been a traumatic and terrifying ordeal and the staff will be offered the full support of Post Office Ltd.

"We would appeal for anyone with information to get in touch with police."

* Anybody with information can contact Leicestershire Police on 0116 222 2222, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.