Masked raiders terrify post office pair

Masked men brandishing crowbars burst into the bedroom of a village post office near Shrewsbury and forced a postmaster and his wife to hand over the keys to their safe in the early hours of today.

The couple, named locally as Gill and Mervyn Brown, were in bed when three men targeted Longden Post Office at about 2.30am.

They were threatened by the men who brandished crowbars and were wearing balaclavas during the robbery, police said.

The couple were forced to say where the safe keys were kept and the intruders made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, including a green carrier bag of £1 coins, officers said

Police said the couple were left 'shaken but uninjured' by the incident. The post office was cordoned off this afternoon with a police van outside guarding the entrance to the property.

Detective Inspector Sarah Wagstaff said: "The intruders were only in the property for a few minutes having gained entry via a window.

"We are anxious to hear from anyone who passed through the village from about 1.30am to 2.45am who saw anything suspicious. In particular, if they saw a car with occupants parked up which caught their attention.

"We don't know how long the men were in the village before entering the post office. It's possible they were in Longden yesterday or at some point in the evening checking out the location."

Forensic investigators were today carrying out checks at the post office and neighbouring forces are on alert.